Revealed Mysteries
by shattered melodies
Summary: Vexana is a Nobody, extremely determined to push away from her "weak" Somebody. But, as she's dying, she's going back on hers and Aaven's life. With crossovers and the original storyline, this is a exciting story of memories. Riku x OC
1. Chapter 1: Remembering

Hey, guys! Amy here~! This is my first fanfiction that I've written in a LONG (believe me, LONG) time.  
So I don't really know if it's good or not.  
It sounds like a good idea.  
I'm sorry if it sounds confusing at all! Ehehe, I tried to make this sound, uh, okay.  
This is a Kingdom Hearts trilogy, inspired by the FABULOUS estuarypalomino!  
She's written an amazing Kingdom Hearts trilogy. I hope mine is as good as hers.  
Well, read it and review, please, please, please! :)

* * *

**Revealed Mysteries**

_**Chapter One: Remembering **_

I still remember the smell of the ocean floating in my (or should I say her) nostrils. They always had a certain way of making me relax when I was having a bad day, The ocean would come up to my toes and its waves would crash upon my feet.

This was the only memory that laid in my empty, naïve head from my previous life. But, the memory doesn't even belong to me. It belonged to my other half, of course. She was the one in my memory, but it was like I was the one who was in her shoes. I don't know the name of this piece of land, but it was a collection of multiple islands.

My other half would spend her time with three other kids on these islands. In my time, I got to know those three. They were two boys and a girl. The girl was pretty pathetic; always nagging to the boy with spiky blond hair and always had to be saved by SOMEONE. The boy with the spiky hair was made for this girl; I dislike them both. But the boy with light blue hair, he was different. He resided in darkness; much like myself. So, maybe it was that that first drew me to him. As if that really mattered. He loved my other half, even if he never showed it. Love was an enigma to me, but I could figure out from one memory and meeting him that he felt it towards her.

The memory I always search through is short; almost as though it was a picture. But I find myself clinging to it; even if I WAS determined to separate myself from my other-self. Other-Half stood at the foot of the beach at sunset. The girl with short, red hair and the boy with the spiky blond hair were playing tag behind Other-Half. Kairi and Sora; their names were. They laughed with no care in the world. Kairi often hid behind the coconut trees; a smirk on her rosy lips. Sora would jokingly call out, "Where's Kairi?" and go chasing after her. The boy with the light blue hair often looked and watched "enviously" at the two fools. But he really had his eyes on _her_. He stood watching from behind her. His eyes were soft and the color of the ocean. His name was Riku. Other-Half watched the distance between her and the horizon, as though she wished to fly to it. Her thick, brownish-grey hair flowed in the passing wind.

I don't know what the hell she's up to. But, my theory is that she wants to leave. I've been to other worlds, and she's crazy to want to go to all of 'em. Honestly, I've always had this notation that Other-Half was a nutcase. There's nothing to see in other worlds except for the same damn things; evil and goodness; light and darkness.

Other-Half… just thinking about that name sends chills down my back. Saix, back when I was in the Organization, would always call me her name. To him, I'm not Vexana. I'm just useless; nothing more than my other self. But, I showed him wrong. I'm nothing like her; never was and never will be. My name is Vexana. Vehk-sen-nah. I don't need a heart, nor Other Half to prove that I'm worth something. I'm not about to stand by and do nothing. Which is probably why I'm fading back into darkness, back to that wretch. Maybe she'll finally stand up for herself when I go back.

There's nothing to do now except to reflect on my non-existent life. Perhaps explaining how I was born when Aaven lost her heart is a good place to start.

Heh, it's kind of funny. Here I am, dying. I'm starting to remember Aaven's memory, now that I'm getting closer and closer to her heart.

Just like Riku had always wanted, Aaven loved him. A lot more than he could've hoped for. A Nobody cannot feel anything, huh, DiZ? That's a lie. Nobodies are filled with hatred and are only left with envy. We don't have hearts and that enrages us. Somebodies have it easy; frolicking around in the light while Nobodies are left in the dark. This is why I believe we don't need hearts. We have our own strengths and can surpass that of our Somebodies.

But as DiZ would say, "Nobodies are never meant to exist."

Aaven has quite a short story to explain. I have a lot more to; the Organization, my birth, finding Riku, and how I ended up in this charade; dying. Keh, what a joke.

Before all that, I have to explain Aaven a little bit. She's far from strong-willed. She walks around in a haze and it's not like she really talks to anybody. And when she does, it's inaudible. In her past, she grew up without a mother. Her father drank viciously every night, occasionally beating and abusing her and also raping her. Probably why she's overly polite, quiet, and always does everything on her own. She doesn't want to go through that suffering again. Anger and sadness built up inside her heart; increasing little by little every day. But it's not as though she'd ever show that.

Aaven has brownish-grey, curly hair that's thick and falls onto her mid-back. Her eyes are pale red and always look lost and or scared. She's about five-feet-one. She can barely lift up her notebooks, it seems.

Bah, she's weak. Too scared to let go of the past and move on. I do not understand the feelings of the heart these Somebodies feel. It makes zero sense.

I'm not here to complain about how Aaven could be different (rather, needs to be different). Our story is just about here…


	2. Chapter 2: Melodies

**Hey guys~ Amy here, again. :3  
Chapter two is here! I've had so much time. And this one is a lot longer.  
I'm starting to kinda like this.  
And I hope you guys are, too.  
So, review for me...? And favorite...? If you like it...?  
Sorry if anything is confusing~!  
And I'll have the next chapter out soon. *is already working on it*  
It's going to be an exciting one~!  
I do not own Kingdom Hearts; I own Vexana and Aaven! :)**

* * *

**Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Two: Melodies_

As I close my eyes, I can see all of Aaven's memories. They're scattered as they vividly play in my head. I see a place to start, now… a few days before her home island was incredibly destroyed. …Perfect.

* * * * * *

Aaven was hiding inside a cut-out of a rock wall. A few mushrooms laid beside her; not doing anything in particular. She was trying to hold in a heap of giggles; thinking, _"They'll never find me in here!"_ The "cave" she was in was cramped; barely able to fit Aaven and the poor mushrooms. A boulder covered the entryway, so she couldn't be seen. She must've been playing hide-and-go-seek with Sora and Kairi.

Sora's voice ran outside Aaven's hiding spot. "Oh, Aaven! Come out wherever you are!" What a hopeless idiot; even Aaven's not stupid enough to fall for that pathetic trick. Sora was laughing; a smile imprinted on his goofy face. He looked and swung his head all over; failing horribly to notice the boulder that OBVIOUSLY was blocking a perfect hide-out.

"Sora!" The voice of Kairi could be heard in the distance. The short red-headed girl was running rather slowly with a grin planted on her face. "Did you find Aaven yet?"

"No!" Sora sighed, scratching the back of his head. "She's a really good hider."

"Hmm…" Kairi pondered, placing her index finger innocently on her jaw line and also looking around. Her eyes found the rock and a devious smirk lined her lips. She tiptoed over to it and put her ear against the rock wall. Faintly, she could hear familiar giggles.

"Sora, I don't think we'll EVER find Aaven," She winked at Sora; trying to hold her laughter. "Maybe we should just give up." Kairi cued the spiky-headed blond over to the rock to help her push it. Together, they forced away the boulder to find their friend. Woo.

"Haha, found you!" Kairi and Sora sang together. Aaven crawled out of the "cave" with a pout.

"How'd you know?" She whispered.

"I could hear you try not to laugh," Kairi said with a smile; turning Aaven's pout into a big grin.

"Well, I can't trick you, Kairi, but Sora's easy enough,"

"Hey!" Sora frowned. "I am NOT easy to trick!"

"What's that on your shirt?" Kairi pointed to his crown necklace; making Sora curious and looking down.

"What?"

"Psyche!" Kairi flicked his nose, causing Sora to flinch. Both of the girls began to laugh out loud. What a dobe; Sora. Sora playfully glared at the girls, rubbing his assaulted nose.

"THAT was uncalled for, Kairi!" He laughed, starting to tickle her - which she hated to no end.

"Stop it, Sora! Yo-you k-know I hate getting tickled!" She was backing away, but Sora followed, laughing like a fool. Kairi couldn't back up anymore and her back pressed against the rock wall. Sora continued laughing hysterically, until he noticed how close to Kairi he was. He was inches away from kissing her. Both of their faces turned bright, bright red.

For Aaven, who was watching aimlessly at the two fools, she couldn't help but imagine her as Kairi and Sora as Riku. In turn, she inhaled sharply and fell backwards; her face also red. Her fingers touched her lavender lips; wondering how it would feel like to have Riku that close. "_Aaven, stop thinking this!" _She silently yelled at herself. _"You two are just __friends__!" _

She looked back up at Sora and Kairi, who just pulled apart; trying to fix the awkward situation by looking away from each other.

"So, who wants to work on the raft?" Kairi said, desperately trying to change the subject.

"ME," Sora called out, running away to the other side of the beach. Kairi sighed, a little relieved. She looked curiously at Aaven, who finally stood up, brushing her green sweater and denim jeans clean of grains of sand. I'll never understand why she's wearing a sweater; it's summer. Even if it DID expose her shoulders, it still didn't make sense.

"Uhm, Aaven, y-you won't t-tell anyone… w-what just happened, r-right?" Aaven nodded in response; not like she wanted to tell anyone. Kairi smiled and walked over to her; putting an arm around her bare shoulders.

"All we need to do is make Riku do that to you!" Aaven's pale red eyes widened even more than they already were. Her face lit up pink; just thinking about his name was enough to make her faint. Kairi chuckled as the two friends began walking to where a snoozing Sora was already taking a nap. Kairi crept over to Sora's sleeping body and watched from in front of him. From a few feet away, Aaven watched as well.

A few minutes later, Sora woke up in a daze. He sat up, looking at the waves as though he was unsure if they were still there. He yawned and laid back down, only to find Kairi's face above his.

"Whoa!" He jumped, sitting back up. Kairi, in turn, laughed playfully. "Heh, give me a break, Kairi."

"Sora, you lazy bum! I knew that I'd find you snoozing down here."

"No, this huge black THING swallowed me up! I couldn't breathe, I couldn't -- ow…" Kairi had teasingly punched his on his head before drifting off to the foot of the beach.

"So, Kairi, what was your hometown like? You know, where you grew up?"

"I've told you before," She chuckled a bit. "I don't remember."

"But don't you ever miss it?"

"Well… I'm happy here,"

"Yeah. It'd be nice to see it. Other worlds; I want to see 'em all!"

"Hey, aren't you guys forgetting about me?" The lovely voice of Riku popped up mid-conversation; causing Aaven to now pay attention. "So… guess I'm the only one working on the raft." He began to walk over to Kairi, mindlessly throwing the log over to Sora. Just as he caught it, it flattened him into a pancake to the sand.

"And you're just as lazy as he is,"

"Hehe, so you noticed," Kairi looked over at Aaven and cued her over. Reluctantly, and trying to force back a blush on her cheeks, Aaven made her way over to where her three friends were. Riku seemed to brighten up a little when he saw Aaven.

"So, you've joined them on not gathering supplied for the raft?" Riku asked, rubbing the back of his head. It took a second for Aaven to respond; she was staring at him… She coughed into her first to clear her throat a couple times.

"I found some mushrooms o-over there," She noted, even pointing in its direction.

"Well, that's a start," He replied, flopping down to the sand next to Sora.

"Alright, we'll finish it together! I'll race you!" Kairi smiled.

"Huh?" Sora replied, looking up at her.

"What? Are you kidding?" Riku sighed.

"Ready? Go!" Sora and Riku looked at each other and instinctively jumped up and started running. Riku even took Aaven's hand and dragged her along for the race. Kairi trailed behind, laughing endlessly.

* The * Night * Of * The * Storm *

Aaven sat in her bed; her comforter hanging over her head. A thunderstorm boomed behind her; and her heart began beating faster with every strike. Her dad was busy passed out on the floor downstairs, and who knew when he would wake up and demand her to come down? Aaven would rather hide and face the thunderstorm. The thing on her mind most was as obvious as it could be; it was Riku. He was distracting. "_He's changed,"_ She thought. Her mind wandered to the sunset from two nights ago, when Riku had said some rather deep things. Aaven, Kairi, and Sora sat on the tree branch while Riku leaned against it.

"So, Kairi's home is somewhere out there?" Sora thought out loud.

"Who knows? We'll never know by staying here," Riku replied, staring intensely at the setting sun and shrugging his shoulders.

"Suppose you get to another world; hehe, what would you do there?" Kairi asked, glancing over at him. Riku thought for a moment, not really sure how to respond to that.

"Hmm… well, I never really… thought about it." A moment past between the four of them.

"Suppose there are other worlds out there. Why'd we end up on this one? If there are other worlds, then ours is a little piece of something much greater. So, we could've easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

"I don't know," Sora said, lazily laying his head against his hands and the tree.

"Exactly. That's why we have to go out there and find out. Just sitting here won't change a thing…"

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Kairi asked seriously.

"All because of you," Riku turned and eyed her. "If you never came here, I probably wouldn't have thought of any of this. Kairi, thanks,"

"Hehe, you're welcome." Kairi responded, feeling a teensy bit awkward. Sora glanced enviously at his best friend and rolled his eyes. Aaven sighed to herself; feeling envious as well. But it's not like she had anything to say…

A few moments later, Aaven came back to reality and took a look outside; when it suddenly hit her.

"Oh no, the raft!"


	3. Chapter 3: Darkness

**Yo~  
I've been updating a lot today. I know. I'm obsessed.  
I MUST write. I'm going back to school tomorrow~  
I don't know when I'm going to write again... or if I'll have time.  
I'll do my best to write as much as I can.  
If yah like this, review it and favorite it! :)**

**I HAD TO WRITE THIS CHAPTER. OH MY GOD.  
I felt like I had to explain how Kairi got to how she was in the Secret Place.  
So, here's my view on how it happened~ ENJOY!  
**

**Thank you, echo2794 for reviewing. You're my best friend. I love youuu! x3  
**

**Kingdom Hearts doesn't belong to me :( But Aaven and Vexena do!  
**

**

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Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Three: Darkness_

Aaven had always been a good swimmer. She took the easy way out (in her mind), jumped into the water, and rushed over to her island. Waves began crashing on top of her, so she inhaled deeply, and swam underwater. Outside, darkness ruled the skies. Waves had erupted and bashed all over in the ocean. It took ten minutes of consistently coming up to breathe and seeing where she was then swimming underwater before she made it to her island. Strange, eerie, black creatures appeared from the sand; their yellow eyes staring desirably at Aaven. She froze; not understanding what the heck those creatures were doing here or what they were. Aaven swung her head to the wooden bridge to see Riku's and Kairi's boats docked. They were here… but where? Are they hurt? A strange feeling of fear had stunned her body. She fell on her knee; clutching her heart. I told you she was weak; she lets her emotions take control of her physical strength. The creatures saw an opportunity to attack and hopped towards her. They scratched her body; multiple creatures attacking at once.

"Please… get off… of me!" She cried out; holding her hand out. There was a burst of light, then the entire group of creatures disappeared into a shroud of black mist. In turn, a red, bulky key popped into her hand. Aaven eyed its features with curiosity. It was the color of fire and its body had a lightning bolt shape. Specks of gold fluttered around the entire key. A voice whispered deep down in her mind; _"Keyblade." _

"Key…blade?" Aaven whispered it to herself. The creatures appeared again; this time, even more of them. The voice muttered again; "_Heartless. Use the Keyblade to destroy them all."_ The shining red Keyblade acted on its own and pointed itself at the so-called "Heartless." Aaven, of course, was frightened by this sudden event. She was never one to fight anything before; but as the Heartless drew closer, Aaven retaliated and sliced through them; a trail of red dust following the Keyblade. The weak creatures were destroyed.

"Excellent work." The mysterious voice said. "Now, let's go to the secret place." Against her own will, Aaven's legs began walking towards the cave that spooked her the most.

"No! I have to find Riku and Kairi!" She protested; desperately trying to regain control of her body. Obviously, she failed, and crawled into her nightmare.

"You'll find them soon enough." Aaven ran into the open space of the secret place to find an unconscious Kairi on the ground. On her own accord, she ran over to her best friend.

"Kairi, KAIRI! Open your eyes!" She yelled, tears beginning to fall down her face and her knees on the dirty earth.

"Aaven… run…" Kairi whispered; her face twitching. She appeared unconscious, but it was clear that she was fighting to wake up.

"You're crazy… I won't leave you!"

"Aaven, there's no point in leaving," The voice from her head rang on the outside of her body but inside of this cave. Aaven's eyes widened and she gasped suddenly. She looked up to see a person in a completely brown cloak.

"You… whore are you? What'd you do to Kairi?!" She yelled at this man, but fear was trembling in her voice. The man stayed still, but he chuckled in response.

"There is so very much to learn. You understand so little," He avoided the question with that stupid answer.

"What are you saying…? Answer my question!" It was clear enough to this cloaked person that Aaven was scared, and he can easily manipulate her. Behind his hood, a smirk had formed.

"Her heart will be very much coveted by Kingdom Hearts," He responded, not moving an inch. "Kairi, the last Princess of Heart, give to me your light!" He held his hand out and a bright light formed in Kairi's chest. A small, crystal-like object floated out of her chest and stayed in mid-air. Kairi's body dispersed immediately into small balls of light, and that, too, eventually disappeared.

"I-impossible!" The man cried out and he faded away into darkness. The crystal object took form of a tired, possessed looking Kairi.

"Aaven…. Please… go find… Riku… he needs… your help," It looked like Kairi had the life taken away from her.

"Kairi," Aaven whimpered, but nodded her head in response. Reluctantly, Aaven turned and ran out of the cave; the tears continuing to stream down her face. She had the instinct to run up the stairs in the little house, so she did, and on the small island in front of her, was the boy she felt very strongly for. She muttered his name after leaving the house;_ Riku_; and raced after him. She crossed the wooden bridge and tripped on to the island.

"Riku!" She called out, glad to see him. A nagging feeling ate away at her stomach, though. Riku turned around; a dark look in his once gentile eyes.

"Aaven, you're finally here," Even his voice wasn't the same. "I've been waiting for you…"

"Riku… what's going on?" She trembled, trying to fight the urge to run away like she always does.

"The door has opened…"

"What door?"

"This is our chance, Aaven! We can see other worlds now, together! We may never see our parents again. But we have only this opportunity… I'm not afraid of the darkness!" He held out his hand for Aaven to grab; that wicked look on his face not leaving or faltering. Aaven took a step back, holding her hand to her chest. Riku's expression melted into a glare.

"You're afraid?"

"Yes, but… Riku, this isn't like you--,"

"Don't be scared. The darkness is here to help us. They're calling for us. And… I'll be here to protect you," His voice, for that moment, sounded like the real Riku.

"Aaven! Riku!" Suddenly appeared; his eyes full of confusion. "Where's Kairi? I thought she was with you!"

"Kairi's coming with us!"

"What's happened to you…?"

"My eyes have opened. Let's go!" It must've felt like Aaven was ignored and stuck in the middle. Darkness began to surround the three of them, sucking everybody down. Riku wrapped his arms around Aaven's waist and pulled her close. His body was too cold; it was past freezing. And before Sora could grab onto Riku's hand, all three were swallowed up by darkness.


	4. Chapter 4: Innocence

** Hiya!  
I must say this chapter was very difficult to make.  
I felt so sorry for Aaven. Stupid darkness. :(  
But you will find out what happens. ;)  
Hope you like it!**

**THANK YOU BRIDGETTAVALENTINE AND ECHO2794 for reviewing!  
Your comments left me laughing. Especially yours, Bridgetta. **

**Like what you read? Review! Favorite!  
I will love you forever. :3**

**I do not own Kingdom Hearts! Just Aaven and Vexena!  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Four: Innocence_

A day had drawn by since Aaven's world had been corrupted and destroyed. She laid unconscious and seemingly broken in the pair of mysterious shadowed arms. It was as though she was dead; her chest barely raised and fell. The fingers connected to one of the shadowed arms pushed away strands of hair that covered Aaven's soft face. She twitched lightly, and her light red eyes opened slightly. Her head spun around in a heap that caused her to flinch. The first thing she noticed were the blue-green eyes that glistened in a dim light. They were so familiar, but Aaven just couldn't remember. She was too tired to even know her own name. The pair of green orbs gazed into her own with an ominous stare. But, for once, she wasn't afraid of this sudden stare. She was rather curious. Aaven shifted slightly and the arm around her mid-back tensed; as though to keep her where she was.

"So, Riku, this is the girl you have been speaking about?" A woman's voice had appeared, along with her body. Two purple horns stuck out of her heart-shaped face. A pale green color stretched along her skin. She bore a black and purple cloak that ripped along the bottom and crawled around her neck. Her voice sounded soft and wise with a hint of darkness.

"Yes. Aaven's her name," The shadow responded, becoming clearer to Aaven's vision. It WAS Riku. And that fact soothed Aaven's slightly worried thoughts.

"Ri…ku… is that… you?" She sighed, a satisfied smile resting on her exhausted-looking face. Riku nodded but remained stuff and tense. The woman came over to the other side of Aaven and observed her features.

"So… even the darkness can't dim her light," She noted, a tiny smile growing on her face. "She'll be quite the challenge."

"Maleficent, you really think that plan will work?" Riku asked in a growling tone. Curiosity had striked Aaven more and she turned her head to see the woman known as Maleficent.

"My dear boy, have I yet failed you; whether or not we've just met?" Riku eyed Aaven; his lovely orbs in distress. Maleficent reached over and touched her bony fingers to his square chin. "You shall receive what you desire in exchange for a few errands. Everyone will be happy in the end." Riku looked away from the two girls, muttering a "don't touch me," under his breath.

"What's going on?" Aaven breathed; her body aching rather uncomfortably. What felt like a shock shot up her entire corporal.

"It's… nothing," Riku replied as Maleficent finally left them alone. He looked back at Aaven and held her to his heart. His chest was warm and tiny beats from his heart rang in her left ear. It was a comforting rhythm and she could finally relax.

But like always, it wouldn't last for long. A few minutes passed of pure bliss, but Aaven began thinking of her island, Kairi, and Sora. Her eyes flashed open and her stomach began churning.

"Where is everybody?" She asked quickly in a monotone voice. Riku didn't reply at first; just stopped stroking her hair. "Riku…"

"_Don't. _Ask about it," Major emphasis on the "don't."

"But, they're our friends… are they okay--?"

"Aaven. Just be quiet," He raised his voice; a hiss scattered with every word. She became very afraid at the moment; for Kairi and Sora, for herself, and for some reason, for Riku. Aaven took a quick breath; whimpering just a slight bit.

"I'm… sorry, Aaven." He softened up; laying his cheek against her head.

A few days, a week exactly, had passed, and Aaven was forced to watch her love slowly be swallowed into darkness. His eyes that were once loving and sweet, turned as cold as ice; if not colder. His grip, whenever he grabbed her, became tighter to the point where Aaven couldn't feel that part of her body anymore. One day, she overheard Riku and Maleficent's conversation. She wished she didn't…

"Riku, I can sense that Aaven is becoming… afraid of us; you especially," Maleficent said. Riku grimaced at that little fact. Heh, it's true. "Don't be upset; her darkness is starting to form."

"I'm a monster… how can I… be destroying her this way?" He whispered to himself. "This can't be worth it."

"Well, you can receive Kairi's heart, keep your girl, and achieve an invincible level of power; or lose all that. The choice is up to you," Maleficent taped her crystal orb stick and a green color mixed with yellow and black wrapped around Riku. His eyes widened and it was clear that darkness spread even more in his heart.

"Now, will you use Aaven and completely blacken her heart? With just a touch of darkness, she'll be of great use to us," Maleficent held the back of her hand to her face; somewhat hiding her devious smile. Riku grinned with a dark hint.

"That's easy enough. Sora will be taken out in no time, then saving Kairi should be a piece of cake." not being able to contain her strange happiness, Maleficent let out a wail of a laugh. The room shook lightly and Riku stared in the green fire in front of them; his wicked smile not fazing for a second.

"Go, Riku. Don't waste anymore time!" And with that, Aaven began running from that horrible scene. She felt tears stinging, her body trembling, her breaths shorting. She was betrayed. Who could she trust anymore? But, for some reason, she ran back to her room.

"Who am I?" She began singing to herself through the tears that were streaming down. "Sinning is not who I am… who am I? I am shouting…" She banged against the wall and slid to the floor. She was beginning to be corrupted? Riku, too? What's going on?

"Where is my innocence? I lost all self-respect…" She sang to soothe herself, but it wasn't working. She was so lost and her heart was shattering. "I was blind and now I see… I don't want this to be me."

Aaven sighed unsteadily, found a piece of paper and a pen, and began to write a letter.

"_Riku,_

_I never knew you as a man of darkness._

_But, obviously, I was wrong._

_You've become so different._

_I don't know who you are anymore._

_But, you're not Riku._

_I can't deal with this._

_It's been days of none-stop pain and suffering because of the darkness._

_I… I… I refuse to be used like a toy!_

_This is where our roads separate._

_Until you know who you are, don't even consider me._

_If you're not the old Riku…_

_I want nothing to do with you!"_

Tears fell from her eyes and stained the angry letter; smudging some of the inked, scribbled words.

"Riku…" Aaven sobbed; holding her head within her hands. "I'm so sorry. Please, forgive me!" But it wasn't the Riku she knew right now that she wanted forgiveness from. It was the one she knew before this all started; in the old days.

Aaven left the note on the bed and reluctantly took steps outside her room. She walked the halls of the castle she was in until she came to a very open room. This was the first room to the castle. She was free now. Aaven jumped down from the stairs and touched the door knob of the freedom door; only to be stopped by a blue fire that slammed against the wall next to her.

"Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Riku's voice hissed from behind her.

"Don't interfere. I'm done," She whispered; barely audible.

"You're not leaving!"

"I don't need your permission!" She fought back. Good for her, and at the right time. Riku was taken back for a second but his eyes eased into a glare.

"You're the one who's changed. I'll make you see your wrong!" He held the letter in his hand and burned it into ashes. He drew the Soul Reaper Keyblade and got into his normal fighting position. Aaven sighed. Her heart was destroyed. She couldn't lose anything else. Bent up anger flowed through her veins, and she drew her Keyblade, called Aka-Reiki. She turned and faced Riku. The tears stopped and anger slashed across her once gentile face.

"You'll know who's wrong when you beat me!"

* * *

**Before I forget, the song Aaven is singing is a real one.  
It is called, I`m Not Easy. It`s a `parody`of Britney Spear`s song, 3.  
The artist is Brittani Taylor.  
It`s HER song.**

**Review and there will be more chapters! :3  
**


	5. Chapter 5: Gone

**Hey. :D  
It's been, what, a week?  
I tried writing... and I did.... but I failed. D:  
**

**Honestly, I don't like this chapter. It was hard to write.  
It's confusing. It needs revising. . But I don't know where to start.  
So, you can read it and review it. Lolz. Pwease? :3  
I just don't know.  
**

**Well, I hope it's okay.  
The ending made me sad....  
**

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Revealed Mysteries**

**Chapter Five: Gone**

Aaven didn't want to fight him at all. But, her Keyblade was responding to her anger. She couldn't control this urge to attack and fight; no… more like, she didn't want to hold it back.

"You're making a big mistake, Aaven," Riku said, shaking his head. "It's not too late to redeem yourself."

"I don't need redemption. I need to get out of here… I want my friends back!" She replied; not fearful whatsoever. He twitched and bit his lower lip.

"Why… why are you backing out now?" He eyed her with an expression of being betrayed (he felt that, anyways). He was angry and knew that if acted this way, Aaven would slowly begin to crack. Aaven closed her eyes; hoping to just ignore his words. He took a step forward closer to her, and another, and another. "Aaven… I thought you cared."

_She bit her lip, very hurt, of course. She breathed; wondering if the sound of her breaths would drown out his voice. "Stop talking,"_ She thought. "_I won't be lead wrong twice!"_

"Aaven… I'm trying to help. If I lost another friend," He shook his head. "I'd go mad."

"You ARE mad; using darkness on your side! It's gonna swallow you up sooner or later!"

"No way. My heart's too strong,"

"Stop confusing me, Riku!" Aaven slashed her Keyblade at her love, swallowing her feelings. He disappeared from the attack and stood on top of the staircase; dropping his "act."

"Fine, if you won't listen… I'll force you to!" Constant bangs of metal filled the room. Black fell against red; a dark energy pouring out. Aaven hopped up on the stairs and ran up to the top. Then, she swiftly jumped to the ceiling. Riku fell from the ceiling; Soul Eater at the ready.

"Aaven!" Maleficent's voice came up randomly; distracting her for a moment. He took the opportunity to strike Aaven in the chest; but barely left a scratch. She fell back to the ground on her back. Beside her, a black aura erupted, and out came Maleficent.

"Come back to us, my child. You're merely being tested," She spoke; her yellow eyes blank.

"As if I'd believe that!" Aaven got up and attempted to slash down on her opponent, but a veil of darkness protected Maleficent and threw Aaven back all the way to the wall; letting her scream in pain (and droplets of blood flying out of her mouth).

"My dearest Aaven. Do not be fooled by the light. It will betray you; whereas the darkness will always be your shadow,"

"You're wrong…" Aaven whispered; blood still dripping from her mouth. She didn't want to even begin in this fight. She was already losing.

"Aaven, please," Riku pleaded. "I don't want to fight you."

"Shut up! You started this! I don't want to be here!" Riku walked over to Aaven, pressed his knee against the ground, and laid his hand on the soft textures of her hair.

"Shh, you have to relax," He cooed. The voice of the old Riku hushed through this one's voice. "Aaven, please…"

"_When he's like this, I sense the old one…"_ She thought. She obviously was falling for the trap. Dumbass girl… _"What do I do?"_ If I existed inside Aaven at that point, I would take control of her body, slap Riku in his face, and continue fighting. That's one upside to "no" feelings; you don't buy into such foolishness (especially this crap).

From afar in the background, the evil witch was holding back a "victory" squeal. (She left after saying stuff about darkness being her shadow). A hideous, wide smile had spread across her face. Some chuckles escaped, but her overall disposition was "calm."

An ominous, foul aura began to pick up in the air. It was darkness. Since Maleficent was on the other far side of the room (a long ways apart from Riku and Aaven), it was probably her. The sensation sent shivering shocks down Aaven's spin; very unpleasantly, I must say. She probably thought that since Aaven was at her breaking point and Riku's light was starting to push away his darkness, Maleficent had to step in. From the look on her face, she presumed that he'd come to his senses and that'd be more work for her. And as we all know, Maleficent hates doing unnecessary work.

For just a moment, light glistened in Riku's sea-salt colored eyes. He looked at Aaven in a bit of horror and stepped back.

"Aaven, please. Run. Find Sora and stay with him," He whispered to her alone; helping her stand and consistently checking where Maleficent was. She was far away, but coming closer with slow steps.

"Riku…?" Kindness and gentleness returned to Aaven. Guess nothing lasts forever. Goodbye, bravery.

"She's gonna turn me against you guys… I just know it," He shook his head and started rapidly pushing her towards the door. Seems that Aaven was right; there was a little piece of the old Riku left inside him.

"But, Riku, what'll happen to you?" Aaven was reluctant to leaving him now (make up your fucking mind, bitch!) and tried to not go to the door by braking on the heels of her feet.

"I don't know. It could be awhile before we see each other again. Aaven… just know…" Riku's words trailed off as her sad expression gazed curiously at him. "You'll always be my best friend, even if I'm absorbed by complete darkness." The door opened up against her back and Riku pushed her out of it. All he wanted to do was protect his love. And his light was afraid of the upcoming darkness. He'd rather take it alone than be the one who hurt her while in darkness. But, alas, he'll regret his words later.

Because after all, "you'll always be my best friend," is not what Riku wanted to say.


	6. Chapter 6: Tears

**Heyyy~! Another chapter!  
I just thought that I should since chapter five was suckish.  
I like this one better.  
It has the Olympus Coliseum; which is one of my favorite worlds.  
And girls; it has CLOUD at the end.  
Therefore, this is a better chapter. **

**REVIEWWWWW~!  
**

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Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Six: Tears_

Aaven was completely and helplessly alone. For days, she wandered different worlds in search of her best friend. From the Hollow Bastian castle, Aaven snatched a teleportation device so she could go to other worlds. She was free as a bird physically, but the cruel chains of love had shackled her heart tight. Love is for the weak anyways; it's merely a distraction the heart makes to blind its victim. Yet another reason why us Nobodies prevail over Somebodies.

She wouldn't allow herself a moment's rest. She had to find Sora quickly and then help Riku. But the thing is, since the islands were destroyed, she had no idea if Sora was even alive anymore.

And every time she closed her eyes and tried to sleep, an image of Riku would flash in her brain. He was in pain, like he was carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders. Then with that picture would come wails of terror and squeals of pain. Aaven was too afraid of Riku being hurt and feared she made the wrong decision in the castle. She blamed herself for all the past, present, and future pain she caused him (and will).

Because after all, Aaven was in love with Riku.

Days and weeks flew by as Aaven wandered into a desert-like world that bore a coliseum. The ground was dusty as she walked in from the gates, and no wind seemed to fly by here. Two bronze statues at opposite ends of this place expressed warriors with a shield and sword. In the heart of this world, faint noises of battle could be heard. So, obviously, Aaven went inside the coliseum and went through a dark hallway to find herself inside a ring (more like a square with rock-like bleachers) with an enormous three-headed black dog. They had razor sharp teeth, piercing blood-red eyes, and seemed to do nothing but bite and throw fire balls at the kid with a large Keyblade (At this point, Aaven is no longer the innocent, happy child we knew her as. She's grown blank; distant. In her pale red eyes, an expression of death took hold of contentness). As she watched the fight and really stared at the kid with the spiky-blond hair getting attacked, she drew Aka-Reiki. She knew who it was. She ran up to the three-headed beast, jumped extremely high above it, and slashed straight down into its vertebrae. Oddly, it fell to the ground, letting out a _snarl_. An aura of black absorbed the three-headed dog back to wherever it came from and disappeared. The dog was defeated and sparkles of red dust lingered in the air for another moment.

"AAVEN!" The boy cried out, sprinting over to her (regardless of his cuts, bruises, and marks covering his skin). He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into such a tight hug, they both fell to the ground on their knees.

"S-Sora?" She whispered, relaxing a little and returning the hug; much more gently, though.

"I looked forever for you…" Even a little tear escaped his eye. Sora never really was a man, I guess. They've only been separated for what, two, three months? And he's an emotional wuss.

"Glad I wandered to this place, I suppose…" Aaven smiled ever so slightly, until she noticed a duck and a dog walking to them. I never really understood the reality of them being able to stand up straight and talk.

"Sora, who's this?" The duck asked; a heavy "duck" accent evident in his raspy voice.

"This is Aaven," Sora answered, wiping his eyes and smiling with relief. "She's been my best friend for so long; even before Kairi showed up on the islands."

"A-hyuk, nice to meet yah, Aaven. The name's Goofy!" The dog sheepishly smiled, raising a white gloved hand to shake. "Any friend of Sora is a friend of ours!" She blinked and shook his head; still curious and amazed to be having a conversation with a dog.

"Nice to meet you, too, Goofy,"

"Ahem," The duck cleared his throat; obviously wanting her attention. Aaven turned her head to the duck and he was taken back. Her expression… so filled with sadness. She was probably on the verge of tears (good guess; she was).

"I'm Donald Duck, Aaven,"

"Enchanted to meet you, Donald," She sighed, turning her head back to Sora, who was still smiling foolishly.

"So, Aaven, did you see Riku at all?" Oh, no, a taboo question. Nice going, Sora, you hurt her even more. And you call yourself a man. A few tears ran down her cheeks as Aaven bit back a scream. Sora's eyes widened knowing he hit a soft spot.

"I-I'm sorry, Aaven! M-maybe we'll talk about this later," He cooed, delicately stroking her hair.

"No," She sniffled, wiping away the tears from her cheeks. "Riku… and I… were together. But an evil witch named Maleficent took hold of his heart. I hated that, so being selfish, I tried running away, but Riku caught up to me. We fought, and he won the fight, but light took over his body and he forced me to leave… he knows… he'll be taken over by the darkness… oh, please, Sora, we have to save him!" Admitting all this at one time tightened the chains on her heart and Aaven began to cry for real, and not just a few tears. She buried her head inside his shoulder, as though to shield herself from being seen in this state. Sora held her again, hints of sadness in his forgiving blue crystal-like eyes.

"Don't you worry about a thing, Aaven," Sora whispered nicely. "We'll rescue him. Together. That's a promise." Hearing that, she relaxed the tiniest bit.

"Thank you… Sora…" She hiccupped, pulling away and using her hand to clean her face of the wetness of her tears.

"Now, Aaven, I want you to be as strong as you can. Don't cry; we'll make it to him!" Sora grinned widely, exposing his white teeth. Aaven nodded and laughed a little.

"Aaven, if there's one rule for traveling with us, it's never frown!" Donald and Goofy both made silly, stupid faces which in turn caused her to laugh a little more.

"Okay… thanks, guys,"

"Can I see your Keyblade?!" Sora asked eagerly. "You took down Cerberus so easily with that thing!" Aaven nodded and summoned her Keyblade. Sora's eyes went wide as he looked from hers to his.

"It looks like a lightning bolt of fire! Not a key!" He noted; his voice as goofy as a child's.

"It's powerful… and releases this weird red dust after just one swing…" Aaven raised the Keyblade and observed it very carefully. What _was_ that stuff? And this Keyblade looks a lot different from Sora's. Hers must be very special…

"We can talk about this later. Come on, let's go back to the entrance! Maybe Phil will finally make us heroes!" Sora grabbed Aaven's hand and dragged her back; Donald and Goofy following closely from behind.

"Thus, I do hereby dub thee junior heroes and confer upon thee full rights and privileges to participate in the games. Further --" Phil read off lines from a piece of paper with Hercules standing next to him.

"Hey; what do you mean, "junior heroes"?" Donald interrupted; hating the sound of behind called a junior.

"You rookies still don't understand what it takes to be a true hero," The pudgy red goat barked back; insultingly pointing at the gang.

"So, what does it take?" Goofy looked up and asked. All attention seemed to fall upon the muscular, God-like Hercules.

"Well, that's just something you'll have to find out for yourselves," Hercules politely answered. "Just the way that I did."

"No problem! We'll start by proving ourselves in the games!" Sora smiled determinedly; ready for anything.

"…There ain't gonna be any games for a while," Phil noted. "Gotta clean up the mess from that last battle first."

"Okay, we'll be back!" Sora waved to Phil and Hercules while Donald and Goofy already started leaving. Aaven trailed behind the three; her head in the clouds. But as she walked away, she heard Phil talk to his student.

"I still can't believe those squirts actually beat Cerberus," He started, rubbing his red goatee.

"Just between us," Hercules got a little inaudible, but Aaven could still hear him. "I'd already worn Cerberus down by the time the little guy and girl jumped it."

The door behind Aaven sealed shut, with Phil responding with, "My lips are sealed."

As they trailed down the steps and went to the exist, a boy in armour with spiky, bleach blond hair sat at the exit stairs, looking awfully glum.

"Hey, are you alright?" Sora asked him. He was always too soft; too kind. The boy looked up.

"Yeah," He replied; distantly.

"So, why did you go along with him, anyway?" The boy's head fell upon his gloved hands in a pensive manner.

"I'm looking for someone," He shut his eyes. "Hades promised to help. I tried to exploit the power of darkness, but it backfired." The boy stood up; his voice dark and faraway; his gaze concentrating on the statues behind them.

"I fell into darkness and couldn't find the light…"

"You'll find it," Sora responded. "I'm searching, too."

"For your light?" The boy had asked with a weird amount of softness. He looked to be a tough guy. Sora, in turn, nodded his head. The boy blinked his eyes and began to walk away from the group. But, before he left, he handed Sora something (something like a necklace).

"Don't lose sight of it," And there he went.

"How about a rematch sometime?" Sora turned and watched him leave. "Fair and square; no dark powers involved!" He stopped; turned slightly, flipped his flowing hair, and smirked.

"I think I'll pass." He left after that note to go back to the entrance building while the gang left through the exit gates.

However, as they went through, something was wrong. Aaven just couldn't shake off a dark aura following them….


	7. Chapter 7: Wonderland

**Hey, guys! It's chapter seven. O.O Woo! I'm doing awesome.  
I really have grown as a writer if I can still get chapter seven out. ^_^  
I used to not finish a series... but now... you guys expect a trilogy.  
And I can actually give that to you.  
Thank you, guys. Really. For reading. (:**

**Thank you ESPECIALLY to BridgettaValentine and Echo2794 for reviewing!  
You always make me laugh and hope that you continue to enjoy this series as much as I am. :)**

**REVIEW! And you get major luff from me. :3**

**I know I haven't been saying this;  
But KINGDOM HEARTS DOES NOT BELONG TO ME.  
But Vexana and Aaven do! **

**NOW READ. :D  
**

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**Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Seven: Wonderland_

"What is the name of this ship again?" Aaven asked as she climbed aboard on a block-shaped ship behind Sora. Donald and Goofy were already on board.

"This is the Gummi-Ship. Weird name, huh?" Sora answered; helping Aaven jump over a ledge and entering the vessel. Even though it was small-looking on the outside, the Gummi-Ship was like a castle. But it didn't have many rooms like one. There was the biggest room, where Donald and Goofy command the rocket and then there were two resting rooms. Donald and Goofy had one, and now Sora would share his with Aaven.

"Let Donald and Goofy drive. Let's talk in our room," Sora guided her into his room and shut the door behind him; the ship beginning to take off. Aaven sat on the simple bed and Sora leaned against the door. She crawled her way to the pillows and laid her head on the soft texture. He, after a minute, walked and laid on the bed beside Aaven. They stared in each other's eyes; as though waiting for the other to say something.

"Do you think we'll ever help him?" Aaven had asked; obviously about Riku.

"I know we will. We'll go back to the islands again real soon; you, me, Riku, and Kairi," His expression saddened upon saying her name; Kairi. Sora very much missed her and he sat up in bed. "Where could she have possibly gone?" He began to worry that she was hurt or lost or enduring pain all alone.

"Kairi… is okay," Aaven uttered, remaining where she was and staring distantly at Sora. "She has a strong heart. She can take anything."

"She could be all alone… I swore I'd always protect her…" Sora bit his lip; banging his head against the headboard once.

"Sora, don't worry," She whimpered. His words that meant, "keep safe," had stung her mind. "Kairi… will always… be in your heart. The same way that Riku's in mine."

"I don't know, Aave," A stray tear escaped his eye. "There're always what-ifs."

"Sora, I think I know that a little better than you," Aaven clutched her heart; her own tears washing down her face. "I won't stop worrying about Riku until we're all together again on the islands, and charade just ends; we can all just be normal."

"Aaven…"

"I mean, what if I left Riku to die in that place? What if Maleficent uses him even more like a puppet like I know she will? Or worst of all, what if he never recovers his heart to the way it was?" Aaven's eyes widened and the grip on her heart tightened. Geez, she looked like she was having a heart attack! Sora and Aaven looked at each other; both wondering about their loved ones. They carried the expression of fear; and boy, was it priceless!

The Gummi-Ship soon came to a crash and Donald barged into Sora's and Aaven's room.

"We're here. Time to go," Sora and Aaven jumped off the bed and ran straight out of the vessel; regardless of leaving behind their comrades. The world they had landed in was a cramped room with a pink carpet, wooden walls, and multiple items of junk piled together. A bunny in a red jacket, a golden eyepiece, and a clock that was bigger than him yelped beside the gang.

"I'm late; I'm late! For a very important date!" He squealed, running in a bit of circle. "Oh, dear, Your Highness will cut my head off for sure!"

"Uhm, hello, Mr. Rabbit," Aaven spoke to the frantic bunny. "Where are we? We're a bit lost--!"

"No time to say hello; goodbye! I'm late!" And off he went through a door and into a room beyond this one.

"That was bizarre…" Sora said, cocking his head to the side and folding his arms across his chest.

"What was that about?" Donald asked, tapping his webbed, golden foot on the ground impatiently.

"Gwarsh, maybe we should go check this place out," Goofy replied. Everybody nodded and sprinted off to the door to find themselves in an equal sized room with a bronze door and a miniature bunny from before.

"I'm late! I need to go!" He yelled, running through the golden-knobbed door.

"Hey, how'd he get so small?" Donald asked.

"Probably because he drank something that made him shrink," A random voice popped out of nowhere; making the gang turn heads. "Down here!" It was a talking gold doorknob. You don't see that everyday. Everyone glanced at the door and widened their eyes.

"Y-You can talk?" Sora responded.

"Obviously. Now, can you keep it down? You're interfering with my nap," The doorknob yawned and began to shut its eyes.

"Wait! Where's the drink that makes you smaller?!"

"On the table," Sora and the others walked over to the table and eyed two metal cans. One had, in an orange color, "Drink me, and I'll make you smaller," on it and the other had, "Drink me and I'll make you larger." Everyone took a chug of the "small" potion and shrunk to about 10 inches tall. They ran over to the passed out door-knob; ready to pass through like the late bunny.

"So?! Can we pass?!" No response. That doorknob was out like a light.

"There's another door over there," Aaven pointed to their left to find a door that was unoccupied by a lazy doorknob and was just a mere hole in the wall.

"Alright, let's go." The gang passed through the door to find themselves in a garden. Green hedges that symbolized royalty surrounded this place. Aaven looked deeper into the garden to see what looked like a trial. A girl with blond hair and a blue dress stood on a pedestal-like hedge. A fat woman in a red-and-black checkered dress with a heart staff was screaming at the top of her lungs. What looked like cards with heads of appendages and armour lined the way to the fat woman. The bunny form earlier ran up to a high hedge next to the woman and blew into his trumpet.

"Now starting in the Royal Court: the trail against Alice and the Queen of Hearts!" He called out. The Queen of Hearts sat up in her seat; her permanent frown forced upon her face.

"Alice," She hissed. "Do you understand what you're here for?"

"No, Your Highness!" Alice's delicate voice answered back. "I've done nothing wrong."

"I sense a rebellion! Someone's head is going to be rolling around!"

"My Queen, what am I being trialed against?"

"For trying to steal MY heart!"

"What? I would never do such a thing!"

"If it wasn't you... then WHO WAS IT?!"

"I know who it is, Your Majesty!" Sora chimed in, stepping forward.

"And who might YOU be?! How DARE you interrupt my trial!" The Queen yelled, standing up in her royal chair.

"Forgive me, m'lady, but I know it's not Alice,"

"Sora, what are you doing?" Aaven's hand wrapped around his arm and she leaned in very close to him from behind.

"I don't want this girl to be blamed… it's not fair," He replied. The gang stepped forward into the garden. The Queen's eyes narrowed as she watched four new people who have disrupted her trial.

"If it wasn't Alice, who did this felony, then find me proof!" She ordered.

"Fine."

Aaven, Sora, Donald, and Goofy had crossed into a new "room" to this garden. This one was more forest-like and dark. Flowers of all colors whose petals were enclosed surrounded this entire room.

"Time to find proof," Donald muttered, obnoxiously twisting his body to look from left to right.

"Looking for proof, eh?" A teasing voice echoed from above. Everybody averted attention up to a gigantic lily pad. On top of it appeared a pink-stripped cat with a permanent grin upon its lips; giving him an unusual aura.

"Who are you?!" Aaven and Sora yelled in unison.

"I am me, me is me. I am the Cheshire Cat, and so is me," He replied in a rather riddle-like manner.

"Huh?"

"You wish to find proof for Alice's innocence? Oh, where to look…" On his toes, the Cheshire Cat danced a bit. "You'll find the shadows in a box of light, but only in deeper darkness."

"Huh?" Sora scratched his head in confusion. Riddles were just not his specialty.

"The shadow lingers in darkness; oh, where could that be? To search for these shadows, one must look for a small piece of light." And there he disappeared like magic. The strangest cat in the world has left the garden. Sora didn't understand a word the cat said. Donald tapped his foot pensively. Goofy cocked his head to the side; in confusion he always was.

"Aaven, what do you --- Aaven?" Sora turned around to find her, and saw that she was already walking away. He frowned to himself and ran over to her.

"You okay?" He asked, but she didn't respond. She just kept walking. A lily pad came up and Aaven easily jumped on top of it. There laid a cube-shaped object in the corner of the lily pad. Quickly, she opened it up and her eyes widened and she closed it immediately.

"Aaven!" Sora cried from under her. "What's going on?"

"I found something!"

* * * * * * * *

"Well, have you found me proof?!" The Queen asked; tapping her fingers against her arm.

"We present to you five boxes," Aaven placed them in front of her. The Queen mixed them up and opened one; out popped a Heartless! A Soldier Heartless, to be more precise. The Queen let out a squeal in horror and her entire body flinched.

"What… what was that?" She asked.

"The ones trying to steal your heart," Sora responded. "Heartless."

"GUARDS! Seize these four for sending these to Heartless to us!" The Queen ordered; locking Alice in a cage and multiple card soldiers began to sword the gang. "Cut their heads off!"

They jumped at them; their weak staffs ready to strike. Aaven sighed, summoned Aka-Reiki, and began attacking. Sora slashed through the cards and banged his Keyblade into a wooden machine. The wheels started to shatter and soon, every one of the cards were defeated. The cage lowered and Sora ran over to it. It opened… but Alice was not there.

"Where is she?!!" The Queen roared, banging her fists on her desk. For some reason, a sharp, almost needle-like pulse surged through Aaven's head. Her expression turned stuff and frozen. Time suddenly stopped, but Aaven could move. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were as still as a statue; and so was everyone else.

"What's going on?" She asked quietly, as though someone could hear her.

"Aaven, it's time to return," The voice form the islands rang in her ears. Aaven released a gasp; all the little, remaining life in her eyes; now gone. She lost control of her body and collapsed onto the ground; her body being sucked into a pit of darkness that unveiled under her and wrapped all around her.


	8. Chapter 8: Broken

**Yo! What's up, guys?!  
I told you I'd get this chapter up by today. :)  
If you didn't already know this, I'm going to England today.  
Why? Because I need to get away...  
Nah, I'm seeing my brother. I miss him a lot. :(  
So, I won't have any computer or access to over this break.  
Sorry...  
But I guarantee I'll have like, two or so chapters ready. I write all the time.  
And when you're on a plane for 6 or 7 hours,  
you have a lot of time on your hands. (I'm going to be sleeping a lot. xD)  
In my absense,  
Enjoy chapter eight.  
I added love for you guys. 3**

**Review! It'd be nice to see it when I come back!**

**I love you guys so much. Thank you for reading!**

**I own nothing but Aaven and Vexana. :]  
**

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Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Eight: Broken_

As we last left off, Aaven had been initially swallowed up by an orb of darkness. Once she was completely sucked in, she fell down into a hole of pitch-black. Her body swayed around in a circle, as though she was in a funnel. Aaven fell and fell; her face a soft but dead expression. Slow beams of a white light wrapped around her; as though to protect her from something; something that was coming. She opened her eyes for just a second. The light dispersed from her body and a small ball of black slammed straight into her stomach; lightning bolt-like surges shooting up her veins; her expression in utter shock. Blood spilled out of Aaven's mouth as her back hit against what felt like hard glass. The ground below her had a picture of Belle - a Disney princess - surrounded by sharp thorns. Aaven laid on what looked like stained glass and blood ran down from her lips; all the way down to her throat. She looked like she was paralyzed with dear or better yet; dead. Her heart made tiny beats and her breaths stiffened. Aaven was not about to be moving anytime soon. She'll just lay like a stick and I'll just be wasting my time repeating myself. "She's laying there; dead-like!" It would put a smile on my face to know she's out of the way. But momentarily, Aaven began to groan the strangest noises; sounded as though she was gagging in a deep voice. Oh, no, Aaven's rising from the dead! Her body twisted around in crazy positions (her hand shook; trembled as it bent backwards into the inside of her arm; her fingers looking like a witch's claw) This was awkward; I think she's having a seizure. Her groans became screeches and the only thing you can hear through this was a sinister laughter. But the weird thing was; there was a laugh on top of that laugh. Two different voices but they were simultaneous; they laughed the same way at the same time. Through the shadows, half of a man's face appeared.

"Well, well," He said. "Look what we have here." Half of the man's body began to surface and walk close to the seizure-attacked girl. A devious smirk wrapped around his lips; the same way with this creased, old eye.

"Aaven, here you are on the ground…" The shadow disappeared and the other half of this man was COMPLETELY different. The other half had tanned skin (while the other had pale white), an orange eye (while he had green), and white hair that spiked up in the back (while he had black hair that was curly). His voice that was deeper than the other began to talk with him. "Literally GRAVELING at my feet. Suffering… just like MOTHER." With that, he slammed down on her ribs; most likely cracking a few. Aaven stopped screaming and moving all together.

"You weak little fool…" Inside Aaven's head, she was screaming one name; as you can guess, "Riku."

"Save me…" Her thoughts whimpered. "Riku, save me!" More blood began to spill down her mouth; her body trembling and tears pouring down her face.

"F-Father… please, don't hurt me anymore…" Aaven just barely managed to say. The father's smirk melted into a seriously deadly expression. He stared at his daughter with an unusual set of eyes.

"You think… because you're my daughter… you're special?" He gripped her hair in his fist and yanked her up to his eye level. "Not like I wanted you or your filthy mother anyway. This is only what you deserve!"

"Let her go!" The sound of _his_ voice rang through this empty, bleak space. There was a sudden blade that went straight through Aaven's father's stomach and his existence crumbled. Aaven started to fall backwards as soon as she was released, but Riku appeared and caught her; her head falling on his chest. He placed his arms protectively around her, but remaining gentle and loose; just to be safe.

"Aaven…" He whispered delicately; pressing her body closer to his. "I'm sorry."

Everything stopped. Just like with what happened in Wonderland, everything froze. Cracks began to form in the bleak black background. Even Riku started cracking away.

Aaven opened up wary, weary eyes to find herself in a simple, dark room. She laid in a warm bed trapped by a quilt. Her head began swirling around as she sat up weakly; grabbing her head in pain.

"You're awake," Riku's voice said from next to her. His hand took her free one in his immediately and Aaven twisted her body to see him.

"R-Riku?" She whispered. He nodded lightly, but brought his index finger to his lips.

"You're still in shock after what just happened," He replied. "I can tell your head is spinning." He leaned in and softly kissed the strands of her brown-grey hair. Aaven's cheeks flared up, but it's not like she's about to reject it. He laid one of his hands around Aaven's forehead in a loving way; nuzzling his cheek on top of her head. Her head started feeling a little better, but those memories from that dark place flooded into her mind. The darkness of those memories fought dominance over the light feeling of this moment.

"What… happened…?" She uttered; her voice in whimpers. Riku sighed slightly and held her closer.

"Maleficent was trying to take control of your mind in darkness," He explained. "But I had to get you out of there."

"But… I didn't see anyone who even remotely looked like Maleficent…"

"Of course, you didn't. It would've been… obvious if she was there,"

"Riku, what's she going to do to you? I highly doubt she'll just let you off the hook,"

"I know. But, it's a sacrifice. Aaven," Riku sighed again, holding her head closer to his heart. "I'm running out of time."

"Eh?"

"From now on, I can't save you. Not as long as Maleficent is around. It's going to be a long time before you see me again," Aaven knew what he meant. The darkness was going to consume him; all because of his decision to save her. Yeah, you better think it's your fault, bitch; cuz it is!

"No, it can't be…" She whispered; the tears soaking her eyes. Her arms snaked around his neck; regardless of the striking pain that sprung up her veins. She wanted him closer; so then maybe he wouldn't have to leave (if that made sense…). "Why do you want to do this all alone?"

"Because I'm not pulling you down with me," He replied; a sad smile finding its way on his pale lips. "But, it's not like I can't overcome it. Aave, things will be okay soon." She didn't believe him one bit; she could just tell Riku was lying. But still, Aaven nodded her head obediently. Her fingers tensed as the tips of her fingers touches the skin against the bottom of Riku's neck; a sigh escaping her lips. At any moment, the darkness could overtake him again. It was starting to radiate off his skin. Silence had then struck the two; either one not knowing what to say. Aaven didn't want to leave at all and leave Riku to suffer in the darkness all alone. She already had been, in whatever that place was. And it literally destroyed her psychological state of being. Yes, Riku was way stronger than her in every way, but it was too much for even him.

"Promise me something… Riku," She said suddenly, pulling away from him.

"Hm?" He hummed, looking at her a little curiously.

"No… no matter how much darkness… overtakes you… don't ever… forget me," Her cheeks burned at that comment, and tears stained all the way down. Aaven looked away as she said those words. Riku blinked and placed his hand gently under her chin and made her look into his eyes.

"Not even drowning in darkness could I ever forget about you," He answered with much seriousness. Aaven tried smiling but her heart was sinking. Its beats were fast, but sorrowful. She looked down again; her mind set in the clouds. What was this hopelessness she felt? Something was eating away at her.

"Aaven, don't be so glum," He said; leveling her head with his. The two stared into each other's eyes; a small tear rolling down hers. Riku pushed back a clump of her hair behind her ear, and rested his hand on her warm, wet cheek.

"Riku… I'm scared…" She whispered in a wince. Riku smiled at her; trying to be reassuring when he knows damn well he's scared, too.

"Don't worry. I'm here, for now." Seconds flowing by turned into minutes, and the two started searching in each other's eyes. But, his head slowly leaned forward towards her lips; stopping every few seconds to look into her eyes. It was as though he was trying to make sure it was okay. Aaven uneasily breathed, but in turn, closed her eyes; allowing whatever to happen to happen.

Within what felt like years, the two shared kiss that was delicate and fragile; however strong in some way. They knew that this was their last moment before their roads were once again separated.


	9. Chapter 9: Oblivion

**Hey! Long time no see, huh?  
London and Paris was awesome~ But alas, there's no place like home.  
I spent a lot of time over there writing. WAY TOO MUCH TIME. XD So now,  
I have up to chapter... thirteen done. But before I start posting chapters 11+,  
I have to ask something...  
Do you care if I add in other worlds...? Like, separate from Kingdom Hearts?  
I just feel like this story is rushing to the end in Hollow Bastian, so I want to  
add more things to make it much longer.**

**The worlds will be from different anime, but Sora and Aaven have gone in;  
a cross-over, basically. Do you care? In your reviews, tell me what you think.  
Otherwise, I have a few chapters to edit majorly. xD**

**Anywho, it feels weird to go to this chapter. It feels like it happened so long ago~**

**THANK YOU NinjaSheik and Taeniaea for reviewing! :D You guys rock.**

**Enjoyyy chapter nine and _REVIEW_. OwO  
**

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Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Nine: Oblivion_

Riku let go of Aaven, put his hand over her mouth, and looked towards the door. His eyes twitched and glared in front of him. A few seconds flew by before Riku whispered in her ear, "You have to get out of here." He pulled out a Potion from his pocket and tossed it above her - the bubbles enwrapping her and healing her body - and the pain began to disappear. Aaven blinked a few times; not understanding what's going on. Riku jumped out of bed; tenderly picking Aaven up bridal-style, and immediately opened up a portal. She tensed up and laid her hand against his chest.

"Riku?" She looked up at him; her eyes wide and curious. He looked back at her; his own eyes soft but full of regret. Her heart began missing beats; what could've made him look so… unhappy?

"You have to go. Now. Find Sora again. Don't ever leave his sight, and I'll do my best to keep Maleficent away," Riku walked closer and closer to the portal but Aaven, being stubborn as per usual, clung to him. What a fucking idiot…

"I'm not going to leave you!" She cried. "I almost lost you once, and from that, I can never be the same! Riku, please, don't make me go through that again! I don't want you to suffer anymore!"

"Aave. You'd only suffer more if you were with me," He replied; slightly losing his patience. The darkness was inching closer to his heart… "Just go."

"Riku, I can't! Please! I'm begging you. Don't make me leave you. I don't want you suffering alone!"

"You'd be making me suffer watching you suffer. Sora will keep you safe. He knows what he's doing," Uneasy breaths left her lips. He got her there. Why does she have to be so complicated and stubborn? Pathetic other half… just obey him!

"Riku," The tears stung at her eyes (again) and she buried her face in his chest. "I can't let you do this on your own. On the islands, you've always preferred to be alone… you don't always have to be! Not this time,"

"Yes, I do,"

"Why?"

"If anyone I cared for got hurt while we were in darkness… how could I ever forgive myself? Aave, I'm not saying this again. You can hate me, but I'm not putting you in danger,"

"But, Riku!" Once he made up his mind, no one could change it. He set Aaven on her feet and pushed her through the portal; instantly disappearing after her. Alone, she fell down in a world of sinister purples and blacks. At the bottom of this bizarre world, a hole opened up and she fell straight through it. She landed on her back in an even stranger world. For the most part, it was black and Halloween, gothic-like. There was a fountain draining green-looking water, a guillotine with a sharp blade, steel bars trapping Aaven inside, and an extremely tall man wearing completely black clothes. His head was so white it looked skeletal. Aaven blinked; obviously frightened by the surrounding scenery. She gulped as she stood up; making her way over to the man who was just standing there.

"Uhm, excuse me, sir," Aaven approached him; keeping a fair distance away; just to be safe. The man turned around; a wicked, ghoulish smile on his face. So, that's cool. A walking, living skeleton.

" Hello, little girl," His ghostly voice came out of his mouth. "What can I do for you?" Aaven's face went whiter than the skeleton's and she let out a scream and fell flat on her ass; her body shaking. Hahaha! That was priceless! I should've hung out with this guy in my lifetime. Oh, well. The skeleton let out a jolly laugh; completely different from his other act.

"Oh, that'll never get old!" He smiled; walking over to Aaven. She backed away immediately; totally frightened. "Oh, so you're afraid of me, huh? Well, that's perfect for the Pumpkin King - the master of everything scary - me; Jack Skellington!" He laughed again, but a kinder expression plastered his face.

"That's not nice, Mr. Skellington,"

"Oh, please, call me Jack," He replied; lending his literal bone hand to Aaven. She stared at it for a moment, then instantly rejected it; managing to stand up on her own.

"What's your name, kiddo?" He asked; cocking his head to the side, curiosity spreading across his bone face.

"I'm Aaven," She answered with a sigh. Did she really have to be here? She had "better" things to do.

"Aaven…? Oh, that's right! A boy's looking for you!" Jack blurted out; clapping his hands together. She glanced up at him; curiosity bleeding through her sadness.

"Who's looking for me?" She asked in her usual quiet voice.

"Come on, I'll take you to him!"

Jack and Aaven entered the laboratory of a "fantastic, genius doctor" and they found a duck dressed up as a mummy, a dog dressed up even more stupidly than he already was (what the hell was HE dressed in? He had a fucking pumpkin on his nose!), and a boy wearing dark makeup, baggy black clothes, bat wings, and plastic fangs. That was Sora, alright. And Donald and Goofy. Sora let out a gasp; a smiling running from one ear to the other.

"Aave, it's you!" He yelled; literally glomping (meaning he tackled her in a hug) to the ground. "I was so worried about you! What happened?! Are you alright?!" I guess Sora wanted to play 20 questions.

"I was taken back to where Riku resides, but nothing much really happened," She replied; remembering the little scene with him. "I'm… I'm okay, Sora…" Reuniting with Sora should've made her happy, but for some obvious reason, Aaven couldn't bring herself to feel fortunate. If she stayed with Riku, even if she was (quote on quote) "suffering," at least she was still with him. And man, did she want to be with him right now. Sora stared at Aaven very wondrously. He was oblivious to the fact that Aaven didn't want to be with him. Honestly, he thought she'd be ecstatic; they were _best friends_ after all. But she wasn't; she was strangely distracted and upset.

"Aave…?" He whispered her name; placing his white glove on her shoulder. "You there?" Aaven looked up and forced a convincing chuckle. Well, almost convincing; we all know she's a faker.

"I'm here, Sora, I'm here,"

"Now that the hang is all here, why don't we start planning to visit where the three misfits hang out? That strange tower is giving me a bad feeling," Jack interrupted suddenly; rubbing the fiber textures of his arm's sleeve.

"Please, do! Those three are such headaches and are always ruining my experiments!" A robot-looking man came in on a wheelchair; his sunglasses spread across his face.

"Oh, Doctor!" Jack smiled. "You can count on us!"

"Hm? Who is this girl, Jack?" He asked; popping his head open and scratching his brain. Yum.

"Her name's Aaven; a friend of Sora's,"

"Is she any good?"

"Oh, tons! She's super strong! She can take out those misfits!" Sora chimed in all confidently; leaving attention falling upon him and Aaven. Awkward, much?

"Really, now? Good. Now, teach those nuisances a lesson. I've had enough of their shenanigans," The doctor turned his back on the group and was about to leave. "Oh, and Jack? If you see Sally, tell her to come here. I need the ingredients."

"Ingredients?" Aaven questioned. "What for?"

"I'm making a heart," His wheelchair spun around and guided him to a table with a blanket covering something. "It WOULD BE much closer to finishing if a certain EXPERIMENT of mine would bring me what I need!" The doctor took the blanket off to reveal a large pumping heart. It was grey; veins popping out all over. Immature little girls would freak out and be all, "ew!" Honestly, I agree. Hearts were for the weak. They were a waste of space and utterly disgusting. It gave off an unbearable stench!

"Jack? You're here?" The door opened to reveal a stitched up woman with sad, orange eyes and red hair. In her arms were all sorts of herbs and gizmos.

"Sally! Perfect timing!" Jack smiled; walking over to her. "I see you got the experiment's final ingredients." Sally nodded; walking to the table with the heart and setting everything down.

"Doctor, do you really think this is a good idea?" She asked; fear imprinted in her voice.

"Of COURSE, it is! My experiments never go wrong," Doctor Finklestein slammed his gloved hand on his arm rest to emphasize his point. One by one, he began to add the ingredients to the beating heart; now and then muttering, "(anything of the heart) goes here…" The doctor then backed away; a smile forming. But nothing was happening.

"Uh, what's supposed to happen?" Sora asked, looking back from Finklestein and the experiment. Finklestein's eye was twitching in disbelief. Scratching his open head-brains, he searched through the heart; then snapped his fingers.

"I forgot the most important ingredient… I forgot love," He turned to the group; the heart in hand. "Could you go fetch me the love this needs? Take it with you… and don't forget to get rid of those wretches!"


	10. Chapter 10: Swept Away

**Yo.  
I don't really feel like updating. But I am, anyways.  
I'm depressed... drama fucking sucks. So pointless.  
But, I'm not here to complain about my High School drama~  
I'm here to say I won't be updating 'til I get my answers to this question:  
Would you care if I added in other anime to make this story longer?  
It may be my story and I can do whatever I want,  
But I want your opinions.**

**Review please on this chapter and with questions~ **

**I own absolutely nothing except for Vexana and Aaven.  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Ten: Swept Away_

I don't feel like explaining going to the tower. It's long and boring; not worth talking about. Basically, Aaven, Jack, Sora, and the two over-grown animals made it to a black building that touched all the way up to the dark purple sky. There were many unstable extensions that leaned far off the side of it. As the gang raced up the wooden winding road to the top, many Heartless appeared. In case I've yet to explain, Heartless are beings who're in search for hearts with even the smallest glimpse of darkness. Their own hearts have been tainted and lost. The Gargoyle Heartless - purple guys with bat wings and yellow eyes - and Shadow Heartless - the weakest, most common form of Heartless who're mouse-like and have those same yellow eyes - kept appearing out of nowhere. Aaven would summon her Keyblade and swing at them, but for some strange reason, nothing would happen. Her Keyblade went straight through them. A Gargoyle Heartless flew full-speed in an attacking position at Aaven; ready to eat her heart away. She merely stared at it; frightened and frozen on the spot.

"Aave, watch it!" Sora yelled; slashing through it quite easily (making Aaven slightly jealous). The Heartless instantly evaporated into a cloud of smoke. Aaven fell upon her lower back; trembling a little out of shock.

"Are you crazy? Why did you just stand there?" Sora frowned; kneeling down to her side. "Why didn't you attack it?"

"Didn't you see? My Keyblade has been going right through them!" She let out an aggravated sigh; throwing her head back. "What happened to me all of a sudden?"

"Hey, is everything okay?" Jack came around after defeating the remaining snitches.

"Yeah, everything is okay," Sora replied; standing up and helping Aaven get back on her feet. "Maybe you just missed, Aave."

"I probably did," She muttered; thinking, "_I know I hit those things dead center._"

Minutes later, after the gang defeated the three misfits with the horrible masks (I'm not explaining it; it's a waste of my time. They found them, they squashed them, end of story.), they reached a door with a pathetic, "ghoulish" face. It was what children would cut out of a pumpkin, kind of face.

"Let's go!" And they entered the room to find the bag of insects himself; Oogie Boogie. He had no eyes, mouth or nose; just cut outs. When he opened his "mouth," you could see the bugs and centipedes still crawling around inside.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" He chimed; a smirk possessing his bag of a face.

"Oogie Boogie! What're you doing here?!" Jack yelled.

"That delicious heart of yours; that belongs to me!" A Gargoyle came around and snatched it straight out of Jack's hands.

"Hey!"

"A heart that contains darkness… and other things, too. With this, I can gather thousands of Heartless; all at once! And it's all thanks to you," Oogie Boogie gripped the beating heart with eyes full of longing.

"Oogie, don't! It's not complete!" Jack knew well what he was about to do. But it was too late; Oogie swallowed the entire thing whole. With raised arms, he tried summoning "thousands" of Heartless (only two came and they were Gargoyles). He twitched in anger and jumped up; eventually slamming down on the ground. As he glared at the group, he took notice to one particular person. What he sensed was an unbelievable sealed power. Summoning Heartless with her heart's strength would be way beyond easy. A renowned smirk crossed his mouth as he sent the two Gargoyles after her. They disappeared and reappeared behind Aaven and snatched her; bringing her over to the bag of crawling, living bugs.

"Eh? Aaven!" Sora yelled; leaping towards her. Yeah, Sora REALLY knew what he was doing. Oogie let out a laugh and sent a wave of power throughout the room; knocking everyone into the game-like-wheel ground. Aaven was set on the ground beside Oogie, who eyed her rather happily.

"What do you want with me?!" She summoned Aka-Reiki and slashed it straight through his bag of a body. Yet again, nothing happened. "Huh?!" Panicking, Aaven began desperately swinging her Keyblade at him; only producing the same result.

"Chikoshou… chikoshou!" (Damn it… damn it!) She cried; still trying to take out of the bag of insects with a pretty much dead weapon. Nothing - not even a scratch - worked. Oogie laughed again and knocked away the weapon out of her hands. Sora tried jumping over and saving his best friend, but being short and not able to jump high enough to grab on to the edge, he was at a disadvantage. To himself, he cursed his height. Even Jack couldn't reach the ledge and help her.

"Aave!" Sora shouted. She tried running away, but Oogie grabbed on to her arms and pulled her close to him.

"Your heart is mine," He muttered; his breath reeking of blood and rotten insects (which isn't much of a surprise). Aaven closed her eyes and let out a helpless cry. _"Somebody, help me… what do I do?"_ Her thoughts echoed.

"_The time is right for you to accept the darkness,_" The voice from the islands yet again whispered from inside her ear. "_It is the only way to save your heart and the artificial one. Come… open your heart to me… I'll give you power…" _Aaven bit her lower lip; halting her scream. The ball of darkness that entered her body from that hole of a world surfaced and separated to fill her spirit's desire for power. Her eyes sprinted open suddenly; completely black where it should be white. Where the red in her eyes was were now patterns of greys and blacks; encircling and dancing. A low growl escaped her lips, and her Keyblade came back to her. Aka-Reiki began glowing blue, red, purple, and black; and so did Aaven.

"Descend, Heartless Angel," The voice laughed in her head; its voice slowly disappearing. With a brilliant flash of those cool-colors, she (so fast, it was unseeable) slashed her Keyblade through her disgusting opponent. Oogie's body was sliced from her shoulder to his waist; his bugs sprawled across the room.

"Heh. Pathetic insect," She muttered; dissatisfied. Her voice not only released hers, but the voice's she's been hearing. "You're no fun."

"Aaven!" Sora called out to her; still desperate to reach her. I must say, that moment caught my attention. Darkness spread through her body; so much that it's amazing she could convert it into energy so easily and naturally - all for her first time. But upon hearing Sora's voice, the darkness suddenly stopped and crumbled away. Her eyes returned to her usual pale red and she collapsed to the ground; totally exhausted.

About an hour later, she woke up to find herself in Doctor Finklestein's Laboratory; Sora's face directly in hers. Aaven jumped back in surprised; causing Sora to smile widely.

"You're okay!" He exasperated in relief. "You really scared me back there." Aaven blinked lightly to herself; recalling her memories. She turned into something she thought was "scary." No; she turned into something extraordinary; magnificent.

"I'm sorry," She whispered to Sora alone; who stared at her with much confusion. "I just… I don't even know."

"What're you talking about? There's nothing to apologize for," Sora remarked. "Boogie was destroyed and you just fainted."

"Oogie's body represents that he was cut open with a blade," Jack implied. "Someone attacked him with a sword or something."

"It was me," She said immediately; looking at the ground. "I managed to slice through his body with my Keyblade."

"But how?" Sora scratched his head. "Your Keyblade was ineffective against all those Heartless."

"I don't know. It just worked," She answered; sitting up straight and staring at the ground.

"Hey, come on, guys! Cheer up!" Jack chimed in with a grin. "Let's see what the Doc has to say."

"This experiment is over. It's discontinued," Finklestein replied; leaning against his fist. "Some of these things just cannot be worked with."

"Why's that, Doctor?"

"The heart is very complex; almost impossible to recreate. And I don't have everything it needs…"

"Don't worry; there's always another experiment!"

"Sora, I think it's time to leave," Aaven lowly whispered to him as Sally, Jack, and Finklestein began having a conversation to themselves; their voices drowning away in the distance.

"I think you're right," He replied as the gang snuck away from the Halloween Town residence and climbed aboard their Gummi-Ship.


	11. Chapter 11: Southern Skies

**Hey, guys! :) Today was better; drama died down a little. Yay. :3  
I remember writing this part last week.  
It's snowing. It's really pretty~**

**Anyways, this is where the extra world comes in.  
Now that somebody answered. :P You guys get an update. I hope you guys like it!  
Review; tell me how it is!**

**I'm going to have ramen now; have fun reading.  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Eleven: Southern Skies_

"Aave, I know you're hiding something," Sora started as soon as they entered their room on the Gummi-Ship. "You couldn't have just… fainted."

"Sora," She sighed sadly. "I'm sorry, but it's not something I can explain easily. Everything happened so fast."

"Well, we have a lot of time! You know you can talk to me about anything, Aave,"

"I know, Sora," Aaven climbed onto the bed and laid the side of her head on the sweet textures of the white pillow. "I'll tell you, but I doubt you'd understand."

"I'll do my best to." He jumped onto the bed and gazed carefully at her; leaning his cheek against his palm and his elbow on his pillow.

"Oogie… was saying how my heart was his," She started; shifting her position a little. "Nothing was working at all. I couldn't protect myself with a dead blade, and he had taken that away as well. There was something inside of me that… just clicked on, and suddenly, an overwhelming power overcame me and I… destroyed him. But hearing your voice drowned my power and… I fainted."

"But… how did that happen? That power…"

"I don't know,"

"Well, thank goodness it unlocked inside you! You could've been really hurt,"

"But, Sora… it was so… scary," Aaven rolled her head so now her face was planted inside the pillow.

"Then… I'll be there to stop that power from overtaking you next time," Sora replied; looking at the door. Aaven was doubtful. She had a nagging feeling that the dark power deep inside her would only grow stronger and stronger every time she used it. It was an overwhelming power, and made her sick just thinking about the way it spread so quickly through her veins and arteries. Would she ever be able to take control over that? And about that voice… who's voice was that? Who did it belong to? It sent shivers down her spine; she could just hear it whispering in her ears in the dead of night. She could hear it very lightly, even now. What was happening to her and why now?

"Aaven?" Sora's voice popped up; snapping her out of her trance and back into reality.

"Huh?" She sat up in her bed; her back to the door, her legs bent at the knees, and her eyes on Sora.

"You zones out,"

"Just thinking intensely,"

"There's nothing to worry about, Aave,"

"There's everything to worry about, Sora,"

"Like what?"

"This power. Riku. Getting back to the islands. Kairi,"

"We'll control your power, get back to the islands, and find Riku and Kairi. Nothing to worry about!"

"You're just lucky to have a positive attitude,"

"Aave,"

"Sora,"

"Be positive,"

"Be practical,"

"I am! And being positive at the same time,"

"Oh, hush," Aaven smiled and playfully punched Sora in his arm. He laughed at it and gently punched her back (which felt more like a push of his knuckles than a punch; the weakling…)

"Sora," Aaven then frowned; flipping her body over and laying on her back; staring at the ceiling. "I miss Riku." She was thinking about all the times she, Riku, and Sora would get in those stupid conversations.

"I miss Kairi," He sighed; looking out the window to see multiple twinkling stars passing them by. "But we'll find them soon. No worries. Gotta keep going!"

"I guess so,"

The Gummi-Ship came to a crashing stop a few minutes later. Sora took her hand and guided her to outside the Gummi vessel. The world around them was completely different. There were these tall buildings and there was plenty of sun upon them. Cars flew past the gang; as they were in the middle of the road.

"I have a feeling Donald and Goofy won't fit here…" Sora said; scratching the back of his head. Aaven nodded her head in agreement; turning around to tell the duck and the dog that they should stay put in the Gummi-Ship. But, for some strange reason, the Gummi-Ship wasn't anywhere near the two.

"Sora…? What happened to the Gummi-Ship?" She asked; very frightened. He spun around and saw nothing behind him. They were trapped in this place! Dun, dun, dun, dun.

"What the -?" Sora's eyes grew in size; royally confused. "We should find someone to see if they know anything!"

"Yeah and get out of these streets before we're murdered or run over," The two then began sprinting down the sidewalk (safe from the speeding cars).

Eventually, the two made it to a park where the grass swayed with the wind, the trees stood high and proud, and people chatted amongst themselves. Aaven traveled to a police officer who eyed her weirdly.

"Uhm, sir?" She started. "My, uhm, brother, and I are a bit lost… do you know where we are?"

"Yes," The officer looked from Aaven to Sora and furrowed his brow. "How old are you guys…?"

"I'm fifteen, and my brother's fourteen,"

"So, you two must be the new students that Nihongo-Central Academy has. I'll get you there," He then grabbed on to Sora's wrist and Aaven's wrist and dragged them away.

"We're not students!" She fought; trying to pull away, but he wouldn't listen.

"Yeah, we just don't know where we are!" Sora chimed in; trying to resist as well.

"Can't get out of school, kids; it's a requirement." The officer led them to a wide building that spread for what seemed like a mile. He pushed them through hallway after hallway until they reached a door.

"Hanazaki-sensei," The police officer began talking to the man known as "Hanazaki" in super-fast Japanese. He told him that Aaven and Sora were the American students they've accepted in and they're lost. Thank goodness they knew Japanese, I suppose, but even I question what "America" is. My guess is that it's another world far away from this one. Aaven and Sora exchanged scared glance's to each other; seeing as everyone was staring at them.

"Aaven-san, Sora-san, please take your seats next to…" Hanazaki had a thick Japanese accent as he spoke English. And this class was… English. "Sit next to Yagami-kun over there." Yagami was "gorgeous;" he had brown hair with highlights of orange and red, clear brown eyes, and slightly pale skin. His attention was placed outside to the park-like space; presumably where lunch would take place. He didn't look at Aaven or Sora's direction; even when they sat down in the bizarre tables (desks?) next to him.

"Okay, Yagami-kun," Hanazaki began speaking full on Japanese. He adjusted his glasses and glanced at his book. "Please translate the following passage from Japanese to English." Yagami stood up and boredly stared at his book.

"To here our sorrows end," He stated; not the least bit of interest in his voice.

"_We pray that the fires of Hell do not burn our flesh _

_as the blazing asteroids fall upon Earth. _

_The Grim Reaper, dressed in a hooded black cloak, _

_stalks our roads in search for empty souls _

_to which it will take and torture for the rest of its life. _

_Like opposing attractions, _

_the one with the light blade and the one with the dark sword _

_shall fight and both shall lose their hearts."_

His English was perfect; no flaws whatsoever. Everyone - students, Hanazaki, Aaven and Sora - stared in awe at the genius.

"Marvelous as ever, Yagami-kun! Not one mistake," Hanazaki smiled. Yagami sat down and resumed staring outside again. You would think that he would've boasted about such a thing, but Yagami is not that kind of man.

The day was rather short; school was already almost over by the time the two fools stumbled in.

"Sora?" Aaven nudged at her best friend as they sat down in the park-like area on campus. Aaven was staring at her schedule; awfully concerned.

"Yeah, Aave?" Sora, too, looked wondrously at his schedule. In his other hand was a map of the entire school.

"About Light…" (Light is Yagami; she managed to find out his full name by asking Hanazaki). She let out a deep, pensive sigh. "I sense something about him."

"Like what?"

"A hidden darkness… it's really hard to explain,"

"Yeah, I know what you mean. It's so hard to tell what that guy is thinking. Reckon, we barely know him,"

"Since we're tenth graders, we only have one class with him; English… only 10th, 11th, and 12th graders can be in that since it's an advanced course. We should monitor him. He gives me the creeps,"

"Aren't you overreacting? We just met the guy. Besides, he looks like he'd know if we're trying to tail him,"

"Fine. We'll see how things go in the morning,"

"Right,"


	12. Chapter 12: Morning Glory

**Hey there, guys! What's up?  
It's been a weird week; trying to get my body adjusted back to America time  
and not London/Paris time. And then, we got a SNOW DAY on Wednesday (yesterday xD)!**  
**I meant to update yesterday, but I got lazy and played Kingdom Hearts all day. Yes, I'm that lame.**  
**But what's lamer is that I'm telling people to call me Cloud;**  
**yes, Cloud from Final Fantasy. Don't ask~**

**Anyways, I'm glad you guys like the storyline so far! I won't let you down. I promise. :]**  
**I'm already up to chapter fifteen and it's EPIC! **  
**And I know this is random, but how weird is it that I literally has a spasm attack**  
**trying to write a scene of this trilogy that won't happen until the last book?**  
**I know, I'm lame. Stfu. I was EXCITED! **

**Now~ REVIEW! Thanks BUNCHES~ to Echo2794 for reviewing the chapters she missed. Lolz. :]**  
**Also~ merci~bien/arigatou~gozaiimasu to tamashi ryu, taeniea, and dave-mingchang (original name btw!)  
My dog is snoring very obnoxiously so I'm going to go now. Don't forget to review~!!! **

**I own nothing but Vexana and Aaven.**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Twelve: Morning Glory_

The next morning at school, Sora and Aaven entered homeroom. Out of pure luck they had every class together. In the classrooms, everybody spoke strict Japanese (which was a nice touch; speaking English all the time can get tiring). Even in English class, people spoke more Japanese.

The day flew by and before they knew it, the two were in English.

"Hey, did you hear about the man who died yesterday?" A kid behind Sora muttered. "He had hostages but suddenly, he just… collapsed."

"Yeah! I heard it was on the news last night! The hostages suddenly ran out of the building, and when the cops found him, he died!" Sora and Aaven exchanged looks of curiosity. They just walked around the city without a moment's rest (they do that anyways in other worlds) so they didn't hear anything about a sudden death.

"A death?" Sora mouthed to Aaven, who shrugged her shoulders in response. This world was different from all the rest. Who knows, though? People can drop dead if they want to.

"Alright, class," The teacher silenced everybody by slamming his ruler on his desk; Sora and Aaven screaming like little sissies. I conclude this class, the best hour ever? Yes.

"Today, we will continue learning about European literature. Open your books to page 412. Sora-san and Aaven-san, I have your books up here. And Aaven-san, please translate the second paragraph from Japanese to English." They got their books and Sora sat down. Everyone seemed to place their attention on Aaven; her heart skipping beats out of nervousness.

"Gone like the wind; the angels are," She spoke uncomfortably; looking from her book to the teacher. "The white wings on her back will soon become black. As soon as darkness seeps into her blood, the tainted will flow and defile the light. Her heart will blacken and soon be unchained, in which the heart of all hearts will be no more. And thus, gone like the wind, this angel of darkness shall be." Aaven immediately sat down; her cheeks as red as an apple. Hanazaki clapped his hands and a kind smile reached his face.

"Very impressive, Aaven-san," He commented. "As expected form an American student; speaking English should be your forte."

"…Let's go with that." She muttered; slipping back into her chair. Her eyes shifted on Light who seemed a little more aware in the class today. Maybe some days were better than others for him.

The period bell rang twenty minutes later, and it was time for study-hall; the last period of the day. Strangely, Light had the same study hall, too, and they all spent it in the campus-park.

Spra sat on the bench with Aaven next to him. He seemed like he just got into a fight and was beaten to a bloody pulp (that'd be nice!). He was probably thinking of last night, when he and Aaven went walking around the Kanto Region. Aaven thought about it, too, and it was big news.

"_Hey, Sora," She spoke; the moonlight illuminating her pale, soft skin. "I wonder where Donald and Goofy are…"_

"_I don't know; maybe they're just lost. With Donald being horrible with directions, the two of them would get lost so easily," He responded; laughing a little to himself._

"_Hah, I guess so," Aaven stared at the ground; thinking about something. Her brow furrowed and she looked ahead of her. "This world has no Heartless. We should've seen many of them by now, and yet… not one has appeared."_

"_Really? Maybe this world is safe," Sora threw his hands behind his head and sighed in relief. "I was getting tired of fighting those nasty things."_

"_Who knows? But we need to keep our guard up," Aaven stopped and sadly stared at the sky. "I have a bad feeling being in this world. It's like… this place is… cursed. It's giving me the chills."_

"_Aave, you're thinking too much again; this is just a peaceful world,"_

"_Sora, there's no Heartless here; aren't you even a little suspicious?" Aaven sighed; a puff of air escaping her lips. "Try drawing your Keyblade."_

"_Alright," Sora raised his hand, but nothing appeared. "Huh?" He tried over and over; but nothing came into his hands. Aaven put her hand out and did what she normally did when she summoned her trusted weapon; merely think, "_Aka-Reiki." _But her Keyblade did not appear for her either. Her heart stopped for just a second._

"_What the--?" The two friends looked at each other with fear in their eyes. Something was wrong with this place…_

"_Never mind; this world really is cursed."_

"Hey," Light's voice snapped the two back into reality. "Are you the foreign exchange students?"

"Uh, yeah, we are," Aaven responded; blinking her eyes a little.

"I don't think we've formally been introduced. I'm Light. You're Aaven and Sora, right?"

"Yes, we are. Nice to really meet you, Light,"

"I'm curious… about America… what's it like?"

"It's a world filled with creatures we like to call Heartless!" Sora said suddenly, so Aaven didn't have to come up with an answer. "It's horrible…"

"I see…" Light looked at the ground with a sigh. He's been speaking Japanese, except for English class. Since it's been a long time since Aaven spoke and heard her native language, it took her an extra second to understand and take it all in. But then again, Aaven is pretty slow.

"Well, see yah," Light was about to leave the awkward situation but Aaven got an idea to keep watch over her suspicious sempai.

"Sora and I have never been to Japan before," She stated; standing up. "Mind showing us some place?"

"Sure." He had a polite smile on his face. "It's be an honor to help foreigners get more comfortable. I'll take you around next week." And he left. When I met Light, this was the way he acted. He only pretended to be nice to gain information on people he needs to know about. Because Yagami has a secret that he doesn't want anyone knowing.

"I still sense something about him. He seems so tainted, and he's trying to hide it," Aaven spoke after he left. The wind picked up; playing and messing up her brownish-grey hair.

"So by hanging with Light next week… we spy on him?" Sora asked; raising his eyebrow.

"That's the plan," Aaven replied; turning on her heel and walking away.

The next week was odd. Death spread all across the country like a wildfire; along with the name, "Kira," the Japanese word for "killer." Kira was a shadow of the country; watching everyone's move. To those who commit crimes shall pay their debt with death. Not a bad idea in my point of view; those people really deserve what they get. And I only say that because torture is my form of entertainment. It's how I define me, Vexana, that I am (well, was) alive. Not like _that_ natters anymore.

But anyways, Kira was everywhere. People of this world are just looking for something to come around and its name will erupt everywhere. It got old. Very fast. It was all people would talk about in school. The only escape from this Kira persona was talking to Light. He, strangely, claimed to have little interest in him. He had other things to talk about, and often had to help Sora with his homework. Light really was in straight AP (Advanced Placement), Honors classes.

Light, Aaven, and Sora all went out for a night on the town. His attitude was slightly different from school. In school, he was serious and rather tense. Although still tense, Light was more laid-back.

I'm going to say this now. The rest of the beginning details of this world are super boring. And how much do we really care for this? I think I'll skip to the more interesting part.

But, before that, I guess background information leading up to the arrival of the shadowed genius would be a little helpful…

The police have been forced into a situation where they need as much help as possible. They confine to L (the world's "greatest" detective) , who eventually sends out spies to keep watch over the police's families. (Information of criminals have been leaked and they're being killed of heart attacks, diseases, and suicides, and L thinks that Kira could be among those closest to the police). Light's father is the Chief of the police, so Light is under surveillance. High school ends for light, and Sora and Aaven have gotten close to him. While at the To-Oh University inauguration for Light (Sora and Aaven attended it), they met up with a strange man who claimed to be L. And that man eventually pulled Aaven aside and had an interesting conversation with her. He asked her to 1, keep an eye on Light as much as possible, and 2, come along to the secret meetings he's been having with the police. As hard as it is to believe, Aaven is actually… very… uhm… intelligent. She has decent deduction skills. Sora wasn't allowed to come. He would've been superfluous and he wouldn't understand a word being said. At least Aaven will know what the hell's being talked about.

It's been about a month after Light graduated from High School and a week since they've begun working with L. This next part is beyond my delight. Yes, things will be getting exciting.


	13. Chapter 13: Rolling Waves

**Hey, everyone! How's it going?  
I'm very excited for tonight... my first high school dance. :']  
Yes, there was another one before this upcoming dance but hey;  
I couldn't go to that one.  
This one is going to be amazing; and my best friend is coming over in a few hours  
and we're going to get ready together!  
The last time I went to the high school for anything, my friends literally pulled me out  
of the car and fangirled... It was hilarious.  
**

**But anyways, I hope you like this chapter! The ending with a certain shinigami is pretty funny. ;]  
"Humans are so interesting." Ryuk :]**

**REVIEW! Thank you to tamashi ryu, taeniaea, and ScarletBloodWolf for your reviews!**

**S.B.W. - they're not in Pokémon; hahah. They're in Death Note. :] And if you like Cloud,  
You're in for a surprise really soon.  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Thirteen: Rolling Waves_

"Raitoooo!" The high pitched voice of the most annoying blond known to man shouted Light's name from behind. Aaven and Sora were walking with light because he had big news he had to tell them. He turned around only to be tackled to the ground by his "girlfriend." I'm sure at that moment he wanted to punch her dead in the face and run away; I would've.

"Two weeks without seeing you was getting to be IMPOSSIBLE! So, I was already on my way to your house! Tee hee!" She smiled sweetly while Light's face was twitching warily. He gently pushed her off him and stood up with a bit of a sigh; disappointed that his two weeks away from this woman couldn't even be complete.

"Since you already came this way, I guess you can come over," He grumbled to himself; not even looking at her.

"Yay!" She threw her hands in the air, but then noticed that she wasn't alone with Light in this alleyway. "Oh? Who are those two people, Light?"

"They're friends of mine. They were on the way to my house since Sora has trouble with fractions,"

"Fractions and math do NOT mix well with me!" Sora growled; fumes coming out of his spiky hair. Aaven lightly chuckled from next to him and Sora shot her a tiny glare.

"Hehe, me too! My name is Misa Amane; I'm Light's girlfriend. It's very nice to meet you two. Any friends of Light are friends of mine!"

"Hello, Misa… uhm, I'm Aaven, and he's obviously Sora," The two girls exchanged polite bows and Misa smiled widely; clinging on to Light's arm. Light looked like he was in pain every time she touched him the slightest bit. Sucks to be him!

"Well, what're we waiting for?! Let's go to Light's house!" And there she skipped along; dragging her (poor) boyfriend to his own home. Aaven sighed lightly and Sora was starting to feel bad for Light. That girl was crazy, and they didn't even know her all that well.

"Hell~o!" Misa greeted as soon as she entered the warm house. "Sorry for just dropping by unexpectedly like this." She took off her shoes to find Sayu, Light's little sister, holding a magazine in her face.

"Misa-Misa! You're the one in Eighteen magazine! Oh, wow, it's so nice to see you again!" She gushed as the rest of the gang had crowded into the small hallway.

"Could you ask Mom to make a pot of tea, Sayu?" Light asked, closing the door behind him. "We have plenty of guests."

"Sure thing!" And Sayu was off into the kitchen to bug her mom.

"Sora, Aaven, could you stay downstairs for a little while? I have important information to tell Misa in my room," Light asked; leading Misa up the stairs and not even waiting for them to respond.

"But what about my Math homework?!" Sora nagged with a frown.

"Don't worry, you're next." And the two friends were now alone. The clock began ticking; tick, tock, tick, tock. With every click of the clock was another second gone.

"I wonder what they're talking about," Sora thought aloud; looking up at the ceiling. "Wish we were there."

"Wish we weren't here and were finding out friends,"

"We're stuck here for a little while; we'll be out of here in no time. You just have to be patient. But for now, let's go see what they're talking about! I'm sure it's a secret," Sora's lips spread into an evil smirk. "I have an idea to get up there!" He got up and headed into the kitchen, to return with a tray with glasses of tea.

"Sora, seriously?" Aaven raised her eyebrow and walked over to him.

"Yes! Now, let's go!" Sora tip-toed his way up the long staircase and then made it to outside Light's room. Aaven sat on her knees and pressed her ear against the door. Faintly, she could hear Light and Misa talking.

"It should include something like this…" That was Light's voice! "'I've decided to cancel my search for Kira. I thank the police for their cooperation and will continue to punish criminals without Kira's consent. Alongside Kira, I will make this world a better place, and I'll start spreading my powers to those who I believe will help in our quarrel.' That last part should be thrown in there to throw off the police. Can you do it?"

"I can do that; no problem, Light!" Misa responded in her usual squeal of a voice. What the hell was this about?

"Well, then, you should probably go home now, Misa,"

"What?! But, it's only seven o'clock!"

"We waste anymore time, Sora and Aaven will get suspicious and they'll overhear us talking about our plans," …Plans? "Besides, we can't be seen together."

"Oh, Light, why must you say that?"

"We went over this, Misa, I'm already under suspicion. I need to be seen with other girls."

"Hmph, but you never make time to see me,"

"Misa…" And they became strangely quiet all of a sudden. A minute later, they were whispering inaudible things to each other.

"Sora, they're about to get out of their room; we gotta hide!" Immediately, Aaven grabbed Sora's hand and yanked him into the bathroom. With the door opened just a crack, she watched them get out of their room. Misa looked hypnotized and her cheeks were flustered. As soon as everyone (Light, Misa, Sachiko, and Sayu) was outside, Aaven pulled Sora down the stairs and resumed their positions on the couch.

Light eventually drifted into the house and eyed his younger friends.

"Sorry 'bout that," He smiled gently. "So, Sora, about your Math homework…"

"FINALLY," Sora groaned; laying his head back on the couch. "SOMEONE'S going to help me." Light let out a stiff laugh and walked over to the two. As Light began explaining fractions and equations of a line, Aaven's eyes began to whisper suspicion. Something was wrong about Yagami, but what was it? He fit Kira's persona better than anyone else's…

"Sora, let's go," It was 10 o'clock and Sora JUST finished his Math homework (yes, it took him three hours to understand the equation of a line). Shows how much of a genius HE is. Suddenly, the light's went out and an explosion of white overcame the windows. Rain banged against the windows as loud as the thunder and lightning. A thunderstorm! Aaven let out a giant screech (the coward was afraid of the coolest thing ever!) and collapsed to the ground. She fainted. Wow. I lost all the non-existent respect I had for her just then. What a freakin' coward. When I go back to her body, that's the first thing I'm fixing about her.

Aaven woke up a few hours later; the rain still pouring down but the thunderstorm was completely gone. Everything around her was warm and cozy.

"You're awake!" Sora replied from next to her. "You fainted cuz of the thunderstorm."

"Where are we?" She asked; blinking in confusion and looking all around her. She was in a bedroom.

"Light's room. He's downstairs right now. But I _really_ have to talk to you," Aaven sat up; her body feeling heavy and broken and exhausted.

"What is it?"

"Light's not the person he seems to be,"

"That's a first…" Aaven sneered.

"Seriously, Aave. I found something," Sora looked nervously at the door, then grabbed a black notebook from beside him. "Look!"

"A notebook?"

"Read the cover," The cover read, "Death Note."

"Death… note… what?" A skeptical face reached Aaven's as she reached out to touch the corner of the notebook.

"No, don't touch it--!" Sora failed. Just then, an eerie phantom appeared in front of them.

"You can see me now!" It said. Ah, Ryuk; he's a good guy. He had a Joker-like smile, pale skin, fur covered shoulders, a tall but skinny figure, a cross hanging from his hips, and a black fur skirt thing. "How you doin'?"

"Oh, my God, I KNEW there was a Heartless here!" Aaven shouted; jumping up. "I'll destroy you and get the others and the Gummi-Ship back!" Apparently, Aaven forgot that she can't summon her Keyblade in this world. What an idiot…

"Aka-Reiki!" She tried summoning it, but nothing came into her hands. "…Oh, yeah."

"Hah, sorry, Aaven, you can't destroy a shinigami in this world," He responded while oddly eating an apple from his pocket. His favorite thing in the universe: apples.

"How do you know my name?! And… shinigami?"

"I can see everything - your full name and date of Death above your head," This "God of Death" smirked brightly while Aaven's eyes widen.

"Huh? How -?"

"These are my eyes,"

"I told you not to touch the notebook!" Sora groaned. He likes groaning in this world, doesn't he? What a pathetic excuse for a human hero.

"Then don't wave it in my face!"

"How was I supposed to know you would grab it?!"

"How did I know not to touch it?!"

"Humans are so interesting," Ryuk laughed as he watched the two friends bicker. Aaven grabbed on to the notebook and the two began pulling on it like immature kids.

"Hey, is Aaven awake?" Light opened the door to find his young friends fighting over his notebook and a snickering shinigami.

Somebody's gonna DIE!


	14. Chapter 14: Winter

**Two chapters in one day? What? Yeah, I know, I'm awesome for that. :]  
Honestly, I just had nothing else to do, because stupid contractors were fixing my bathroom.  
(It's getting remodeled). But they're gone now, so I'm going to go take a bath  
before my friend shows up. I must look ~perfect~ for tonight.  
I have someone in mind to impress. ;]**

**REVIEW! I'm very excited to how this story is turning out. I can't wait for you guys to read  
the next few chapters; guest starring Cloud and other shinigami!  
(I love spoilers; sorry XD) You must tell me how this is turning out! Or else.**

**Thank you to ScarletBloodWolf for reviewing today. :] You are amazing!**

**I own ~nothing~ but Vexana and Aaven.  
**

**

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Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Fourteen: Winter_

Light stared at everyone in his room, but the notebook in Aaven's and Sora's hands held his attention. Everyone's hearts suddenly stopped; even the shinigami held his breath in suspense. Minutes seem to fly by like rain drops falling from the sky. Light eyed the Death Note with curiosity, but deep inside his eyes, he was afraid and looking for a way around this situation.

"What are you doing with my notebook…?" He asked in a low voice; trying to keep his act together.

"Your notebook?" Aaven's brow furrowed with a bit of confusion. What was Light doing with a notebook called Death Note?

"Yes, it's mine. That notebook contains information for my Forensic Science class,"

"Then why does it say "Death Note" on the cover?"

"Inside the notebook, it contains names of people we're investigating and they happened to have died. Thus, "Death Note" is its name," Light was a smooth talking guy. Before Aaven could look inside the notebook for proof, Light came over and snatched it away. The shinigami began to laugh a sinister laugh; making Sora really jump in surprise.

"What is that thing?!" Sora yelled; dramatically pointing at it and trying to breathe right. Guess he wasn't paying attention that much five minutes ago.

"What thing?" Light asked; cocking his head to the side.

"THAT!" Light's eyes scanned the room, but he shrugged his shoulders in response.

"What're you talking about?" He asked.

"That thing! The God of Death; shinigami! It's taking up the entire room!" Aaven squealed out of fear; Ryuk was scaring her. Serves her right!

"Haha, I'm letting you watch too many sci-fi movies, Aaven," A kind smile grew on his face to reassure her. "There's no God of Death in my room."

"Yes, there is! He's in hysterics right now in the corner of the room! He's right there!" Aaven was sounding desperate for her eighteen-year-old friend to believe her.

"Aaven, you must still be tired… go back to sleep, okay?" And light then left the room with his Death Note and shinigami following him. Her eyes twitched in disbelief; somehow, she just knew Light was lying to her and Sora. Duh.

"We have got to get out of here…"

"Aave, Light was lying…" Sora muttered.

"I know, so --"

"Listen; we might've found Kira! It's Light! You remember that first guy dying in the Kanto region, right? Otoharada Kurou?"

"Yeah, but how--"

"His name was written on the first page of that notebook," Aaven remained silent for the time being. She stared curiously and in surprise at Sora.

"If our names are written in there… we could…" Sora shivered at the thought of being written in there.

"But, Light wouldn't _kill_ us… right? I mean… he doesn't know that we know how he kills… he just said it was for his class…"

"My head hurts… this is not my kind of world,"

"Mine either,"

"I hope we can leave soon…"

"Oy, Aaven; Sora!" Ryuk passed through the door without opening it (like a ghost) and waved at the two like they were friends.

"Who are you, shinigami?!" Aaven yelled; dramatically pointing her finger at him. "Surely, you have a name!"

"I'm Ryuk,"

"Okay, Ryuk, what do you want?"

"I'm here to help you get out of this world; but there is an admission fee of five apples,"

"Why do you want to help us and why apples?"

"Little known fact is that Light is planning to get rid of you anyways, now that you know about the Death Note. And apples are… how do humans say it? Juicy!"

"And you have a strange addiction to them?"

"I can't help it! Apples to me are like what cigarettes and alcohol are to you humans! Apples are juicy and delicious. But anyways, if you bring the apples, I will get you out of here,"

"Where are we supposed to get apples?"

"Light keeps a whole bunch downstairs. Since he headed off to the taskforce meeting right now, he'll be gone for a long time, so it's safe,"

"Alright… I'll go check downstairs," Aaven then snuck out of Light's room; still a bit dizzy. Oh, thunderstorms were never her thing. She slowly and surely made her way down into the kitchen. On the table was a basket full of sweet Ryuk-treats; AKA apples. She began to slowly take one apple at a time; like they were apart of a crime scene. As soon as all the apples were out of the basket, she counted them carefully; just to be sure. I can hardly blame her for being this way. It sickens me to utter those foul words but she did want to lave. Deep down she knew this world wasn't helping her get closer to rescuing her love, so she began hiding her resentment. In reality, she wanted to leave like there was no tomorrow. Okay, "sympathy" does not work well with me. I'll shut up and just continue now.

Aaven returned to Light's room with five apples in hand. The eyes of the shinigami lit up with happiness and he snatched them all out of her hands. He began eating them by holding its stem and munching from the bottom up. Apple juices began squirting everywhere from how intensely Ryuk was eating the tasty fruit.

"Apples are so good," Ryuk smiled; wiping the excess juices from his chin. "Now back to business."

"How can you help us?!" Sora eagerly asked; jumping up out of his seat.

"Come with me to the Shinigami-Realm… and defeat a high ranked shinigami than me,"

"Shinigami have rank?" Aaven asked; cocking her head curiously to the side.

"Yes. I'm a level six shinigami, so anyone levels 5 and up are acceptable. But be subtle… and don't let the old man find out about this plan," A devious smirk was plastered against his Joker Face; his hands rubbing the smooth textures of each other. Sora and Aaven looked at each other with worried faces; was this really about to work?

"Oh, come now, we don't have a lot of time left; a dog and duck are in deep trouble," Ryuk impatiently tapped his foot on the ground while horrified expressions marked the fools' faces. A dog and a duck… that can only mean Donald and Goofy! Oh no, now they really do have to go.

"So what'll it be?"

"We're going," Aaven and Sora said in tandem; no hint of doubt could be found anywhere on them. Not in their voice or face.

"Excellent… let's get out of here. You humans… are _so_ interesting!" Ryuk spread devil-like wings, grabbed on to Aaven and Sora's wrists, and flew away from this world and off to the other connected to this one; laughing in hysterics like he always does.


	15. Chapter 15: Memory

**Fifteen chapters, you guys! FIFTEEN!  
And I can guarantee over twenty! :D I'm so proud!**

**Thank you guys so much for staying with me for this journey. It means so much 3**

**Review! I promise things are about to get really interesting.**

**I hope you guys enjoy Cloud. ;]**

**I own nobody/nothing except for Aaven and Vexana!  
**

**

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Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Fifteen: Memory_

The world Aaven and Sora now saw was totally different from the Japan world. This place… it was undeniably wide and you could see for miles nothing but a mixture of white, grey, and black. The ground was nothing but dust and rocks.

"This… this is… the Shinigami Realm?" Aaven whispered; the chilling, low wind blowing against her skin.

"It's vast, isn't it?" Ryuk replied from behind them. "But this world… it's dying.

"We, shinigami, are left in this world with a once high reputation. Now, if anyone started writing names in their Death note vigorously, like they were in a rush, we'd ponder why you're working so hard. There's nothing to this world anymore; as if there was no reason for our existence. This world… has fallen, so I went to the human world out of boredom. It's just the same thing; every single day. And I was sick of it. So, go ahead. Choose a shinigami of your choice, and kill them soon. You have a time limit…"

"How much of a time limit?" Sora asked; gazing up at Ryuk. He stared off in the distance in front of them.

"Six hours, and time has already started," Ryuk began to laugh a little to himself.

"How do we know the rank of a shinigami?" He asked again; already tired and angry of being here. _SOMEBODY'S_ cranky.

"Your friend's and your vessel will appear once you've defeated them,"

"What happens if we don't defeat a shinigami in six hours?"

"You belong to this realm to suffer for the rest of eternity,"

"Lovely cliché. Why didn't you say this before?!" Aaven groaned; tapping her foot like Donald does when he's impatient.

"You never asked. Now, good luck!" Ryuk flew away - presumably flying back to the human world; leaving Sora and Aaven in this strange, vast, scary new world.

"Come on, Sora, we got this!" Aaven began to run towards nothing in particular; just sprinted in front of her. "_I will get out of this place… and when I do… Riku, I'm coming to save you!_" She mentally promised herself. A small tear escaped her eye but it was left untouched by her certainty and willpower.

It felt like hours passed by, when really only ten minutes did. The wind died down and as they walked, no shinigami was in sight; which was unusual. Shouldn't there have been at least one by now? Rain began to sprinkle down from the grey skies and Aaven raised her head to watch the wet substance fall upon her skin.

"We're looking in the wrong place," She muttered; but all this wasn't breaking her spirit. She felt like she had to continue on; for everybody (but mostly for Riku). "Let's keep going."

"Right! For Donald and Goofy; who stayed by our side up until this world!" Sora smiled; also unfazed the slightest bit of this hellhole. Just then, however, Sora heard a familiar shriek of a person he was searching for. He literally stopped in his place; not even daring to move anymore. Aaven turned to face him, only to see the horrified look on his face; it looked as though his heart had stopped beating.

"Aave, d-did you hear Kairi's scream…?" He asked; his voice trembling with fear. What's gotten into him? He's hearing things again.

"No, what are you---?" Aaven stopped as well; she heard a completely different scream. Her eyes widened to a huge extent as well. The scream she heard was more masculine compared to the feminine one that Sora heard.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted.

"Riku!" Aaven yelled. The two friends fell on to their knees; both gasping for air to breathe. This was all in their heads. Kairi and Riku weren't even in the Shinigami Realm or even remotely close to it. A shinigami has decided to play puppet master and Sora and Aaven were their puppets. Their eyes began to lose all signs of life from out of the blue; like they were hypnotized. The battle has begun.

"You… Sora… you always hindered me… as we tried looking for Riku… it's all your fault we're so behind!" Aaven's eyes morphed into the eyes of when she was in Halloween Town. And her trusted Keyblade appeared in her right hand, along with a new Keyblade in her left. Printed along its side were the words, "Kuro-Reiki," meaning, "Black Aura." Kuro-Reiki looked like a copy of the Oblivion Keyblade, only with rougher edges and the sharper end of the key. This Keyblade was beyond powerful, and it responded to the darkness in Aaven's heart. The more darkness, the stronger it became. Aka-Reiki was a Keyblade that reacts to the amount of light within Aaven's heart. Since light is dominant in her heart, it appears often.

"Don't tell me that; you let Kairi disappear on the islands! She probably died, and I'll never see her again; all because of you!" Sora drew his Kingdom Key Keyblade and an aura of black darkness shrouded the metal of his Keyblade.

"You're wrong! And stop distracting me from the truth! I'll destroy you!" She jumped forward; swinging her newly acquired Keyblade at her best friend. The two engaged in battled; spells of fira, blizzarda, and thundara exploding at each other. They seemed evenly match. When one of them spring forward to attack, the other followed and mirrored their moves perfectly. Now, as they were fighting, they were yelling at each other. They were being introduced to artificial memories. Aaven saw Sora trying to kill Riku on the islands and actually almost succeed. But, of course, that was a lie.

"Sora!" Aaven withdrew Aka-Reiki and an immense aura sent a pulse through the area; even knocking Sora to the ground. "You've screwed around with me for too long… it ends. NOW!" Sora suddenly turned back to normal; the artificial memories probably gone. Aaven believed too heavily of those memories while Sora was probably more skeptical in believing them. So, it was only natural that he would return to normal so fast and easily.

"Aave…?" He whispered her name in a bit of fear and shock. Aaven launched herself at him and was just about to hit Sora when she was forced back by a bulky sword. She landed on her feet just to see a man with a ripped cape, dark red armor and a red scarf, blue eyes, and mega spiky bleach blond hair.

"Cloud!" Sora called out. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought Sephiroth would be here… so I let my darkness transport me to this place," His voice was quiet but held its ground.

"S-Sephiroth?" Aaven grabbed her head in pain; a vision of a dead woman who suffered an intense amount of pain appearing in her head. It was written across her blood her blood-deprived face. The vision became clearer and clearer; she being able to see the blood on the woman's clothes and a long, metal sword sticking out of her chest. She let out a small yelp of fear; collapsing to her knees. This was a true memory, and it was destroying the artificial ones. This woman… had been Aaven's mother…

"Aave, are you okay?! What's wrong?!" Sora ran over to his best friend and gently touched her hands that seemed to be glued to the sides of her head.

"S-Sora… don't let anyone say that awful name again; it's too much to hear…" She whimpered; trembling a little. Cloud walked over to the two and watched them with a curious but cautious expression.

"So… he hurt you, too?" He said with a tone as though he was dead. That's hot. Aaven nodded her head and she opened her eyes; gazing scaredly at her bleach-blond ally for just a second, then her gaze returned to the ground.

"He… killed my mother nine years ago… Sephiroth…" She let out a wince when the name left her lips. "…was a personal friend of my father's, and when he turned evil… he poisoned my dad's mind… and bad things happened to me in the end!" Cloud knelt on to his right knee and hesitantly put his gloved hand upon Aaven's head to comfort her and let her know he understands. She let out a light gasp and looked into his eyes. She wasn't used to this kind of touch from many boys.

"Looks like we have something in common," He stood up and turned his back on the two. "Let's go. You're looking for a level 5 or up shinigami, am I right? I know where they are." Sora nodded his head, helped his friend stand up, and let her lean against his shoulders as they began following the warrior deeper inside the world of the Gods of Death.


	16. Chapter 16: Strength

**Hey! What's up guys?!  
Fanfiction didn't let me post this up last night...  
And I was with a friend all day today so I couldn't even type it up.  
But, hey, better late than never.  
I'M SO HAPPY! I finished this story in my notebook!  
I guarantee twenty-one chapters.  
There're not many worlds left...  
But in the sequel,  
I can see Vexana being sent to random anime worlds.  
ScarletBloodWolf has given me an awesome idea for one.  
And they are ~amazing~ for it! **

**Anyways, before I keep talking you guys to death,  
I'm going to let you read.  
Thank you to ScarletBloodWolf and Taeniaea**** for reviewing :]  
I've made it up to twenty reviews (I never have gotten any for anything before...)  
and when this series is over,  
I'd love at least 25 ;3  
Thank you for everything guys, you don't know how much it means to me!**

**I own nothing except Vexy and Aaven! xD  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Sixteen: Strength_

Cloud had led Aaven and Sora to a cliff and off the edge were many 3-person shinigami group who lowly spoke to each other. Many of them were either gambling or sleeping. Their bodies were distorted and all of them looked completely different; no shinigami looked alike. One of them was even made completely out of gold and many colored jewels.

"Are those… the shinigami?" Sora questioned in a quiet voice; his eyes wide with curiosity and amazement.

"Yeah," Cloud responded; gazing blankly at the Death Gods who were completely oblivious to the fact that they were standing over them on the cliff. "We must look for a specific shinigami, however. We must find the one who infected you two."

"We're infected?!" Sora shouted. It's amazing that the echo didn't fly off the cliff so the shinigami could hear him.

"Shush. But, yes,"

"With what and why and how?!"

"The shinigami who infected you placed fake memories to turn you two against each other. The memories were a bit weak, so it was easy to disperse them. This shinigami enjoys violence… and once infected, you have to destroy him; no questions asked. And time is a great factor."

"As figured…"

"Be on your guard at all times. Keep level-headed, and _don't_ be stupid," Sorry, Cloud. That last request is too much for Sora; he can't not be stupid no matter how hard he tries.

"Y-yeah," Cloud twisted his body from left to right to see if there was anyone close to them. As though they were trapped in a desert, there was nothing in sight but miles of grey and white. He closed his eyes to try and sense anyone from a more spiritual level, but he just felt Aaven, Sora and the shinigami down below. But suddenly, a wave of energy swung at him and he was knocked to the ground; sliding off the edge of the cliff. If he hadn't caught onto the edge, he would've fallen to his doom. He held tightly to it, before jumping back onto the cliff.

"It's here!" Cloud drew his bandaged, bulky, metal sword and remained quiet. Sora drew his Keyblade as well as Aaven. They took steps closer to each other in a circle but their backs were to each other. "Stay on your toes." A sinister, dark laugh filled the area. That was the shinigami they were looking for.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Sora shouted; his face melting into an angry expression.

"Hmph, a human barking orders at me?" A deep voice spoke. "Know your place. You're an eyesore." Another swing of energy knocked the group off their feet. Aaven and Sora landed on their backs but Cloud rebounded and swung his weapon where the attack came from. At the end of his long sword, a shinigami with a skull face and bony appeared.

"Gotcha." Cloud retracted his sword and took another swing at it. A high pitched metal sound came off this being; he _did_ catch it in his hands. The shinigami had a wide smirk; the stitches on his head lining up his skull. He was made of entirely bone.

"Pathetic human. You're weak," He spoke. "You're looking for the light, but it blinds you. You'll always be a man of darkness." Cloud twitched and glared daggers at his opponent.

"You _don't_ know me!" He withdrew his blade and retaliated by banging down on the shinigami shoulder. The same sound erupted from him; causing Cloud to fall onto his knee. The high-pitched noises were upsetting his balance.

"Omae wa yowaii," (You're weak). The shinigami raised his hand in the air; his attempt for the final blow. "For a human, you were boring."

"Cloud!" He heard a voice in his head that called out his name and a bright light flashed in front of him; causing the shinigami to draw back and cover his eyes. In response, he gripped his bulky sword and repeatively slashed into the God of Death. He groaned; the attacks too fast for him to even see. The shinigami was backing up towards the edge of the cliff and _**almost**_ fell off.

Almost.

The shinigami went invisible again and his footprints were imprinted in the sand, so everyone could follow. Once the Death God was a good distance away from falling to his untimely demise (the irony!), he reappeared and held a thick card in his bony, steel hand.

"We, shinigami, gamble with each other because we're bored… but gambling gets boring," There was a sudden rumble in the ground under everyone's feet. "Why do you think there're only twelve shinigami left in this realm?" Like an earthquake, the rumbling intensified and forced open a hole in the earth. Claws the size of Cloud's blade appeared, along with other body parts. With no skin or fur - just muscles-, pointy ears, long, sharp teeth, eight tails, and four strong legs, a fox demon too big to describe roared in front of the gang. Cloud stared with calm eyes (though I'm sure he was freaking out on the inside) while Sora and Aaven gazed in horror at the demon. This was the definition of a true demon; the ones in people's nightmares.

"Cloud, Sora, Aaven. Meet Kyuubi-Yokai," (Nine Tails Demon).

"What are we going to do? We can't win against this thing!" Aaven cried; holding her Keyblade with a shaky hand.

"Never know until you try," Cloud responded bluntly without any hint of fear; leaping forward to attack the demon. Out of its mouth came blazes of intense hearts of fire. Cloud dodged it perfectly; jumping onto its back and landing powerful strikes to its neckline.

"Aave, we're sitting ducks! We have to help Cloud!" Sora joined his bleach-blond friend and began attacking. Aaven stood there; terrified of moving. She could feel no courage coursing through her veins and felt so left behind. Can I just say how much I HATE her as my other half? This shinigami was wrong; Cloud's not the weak one. Aaven, you are. Stop being pathetic and disappointing and GO ATTACK. The more of your memories I go through the more… "sympathy" I have for Riku for actually loving you; and I CAN'T FEEL!

"_It is I, Ansem,"_ He finally revealed his name to her. Ansem's the voice from the islands. He's awfully sickening. He's also the one from when Aaven was in the world and half of her father was there (Ansem was the other half). _"Open your heart again, Aaven… this shinigami and fox demon will be instantly destroyed with my power… you and your friends will be free… let the darkness over take you once more…"_ Aaven grabbed her chest in a wicked pain and dropped to her knees; gasping for breath. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead as she began hacking.

"_What do I do?"_ She thought. _"I have to help them… but I'm afraid… of that power…!"_

"_Ignore your fear. Open your heart,"_

"_No, I don't want to!"_

"_You must! Your friends will die if you don't take me in!"_

"_Ansem, please! There must be another way!"_

"_You cannot escape this choice. Do not waste your time…"_ Ansem stopped talking for a second and forced Aaven to look at the fox demon. It let out a huge, ear shattering screech; a vessel of fire exploding all around Sora and Cloud. They got caught up in the blast! Then, they were thrown back - their bodies drenched in their own blood and their eyes closed - signifying their state of unconsciousness. _"…for your friends are running out of it."_

"YAMETE!" (Stop it!) Aaven screamed; begging for mercy and tears staining her cheeks.

"_Then stop refusing me!"_ Ansem's voice returned and he still held a grip on her heart. "_You belong to me… if you wish to save your friends' lives, then you have no other choice."_

"_I won't let you consume me!"_

"_Then watch your friends perish…"_ The fox demon raised its paw and growled in desire. The shinigami controlling the fox demon burst out in evil hysterics; a smile lining his face.

"Owarii da!" (It's over!) He yelled as the fox demon slashed his claws at the two unconscious warriors.

But of course, his paw never killed the two, for two Keyblades and the power of darkness got in the way of his slash.


	17. Chapter 17: Disaster

**Hey, everyone! Can you believe that it's Thursday already? Time flies!  
School is fun. Especially Bio; we're doing a pig dissection and so many girls  
are freaking out and going, "Eww! I can't do this!" ...Grow up, would yah?  
We did this in sixth grade. It was fun!  
I'm a surgeon so I get to cut up the piggy tomorrow. :3 I'm excited. Am I sick?  
It's just practice for when I become a doctor or a vet!**

**Wow. Sorry. I just like sharing what happens in my life. :P  
Anyways, I hope you guys are liking what's happening so far in the story!  
I reeeeeeally wanted to add in more Cloud, even though I don't play Final Fantasy,  
and I know nothing about him except for what he reveals of himself in Kingdom Hearts. Dx  
So this is what I came up with~ Cool, huh? Ya like? :D**

**ONLY FOUR MORE CHAPTERS LEFT UNTIL THE END OF THIS BOOK. WOO! :D  
I can't believe I actually finished it... I'm so very happy. :3 Then it's off to 358/2 Days!  
**

**REVIEW. Only four more 'til my goal~ All you have to do is comment on how the story  
is going so far and if you like it. :P It's easy and fast AND I DEMAND IT. O_O**

**Sorry. Hah. I own nothing but Vexy and Aaven!  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Seventeen: Disaster_

Underneath the demon's paw was a mist of darkness that merely seemed to grow stronger and stronger. In the middle of the mist was Aaven. Her hair and her eyes were the darkest of black, and a tiny fang laid against her bottom lip. Her Keyblades were over her head; keeping the paw at bay. She appeared to have no struggle with it; not even grunting. The fox demon retracted his paw and sent a fire blast at her. Not only did she dodge the attack, she got Cloud and Sora away from it and reappeared on the fox demon's back. A burst of lightning shocked on Kuro-Reiki and fire bolts surrounded Aka-Reiki. As fast as sound, she jumped into the air and began to spin; the two elements enwrapping her and growing. Aaven fell and before she landed on the back of the Kyuubi-Yokai, her Keyblade buried itself in his back; slicing deep down into it. Blood splattered everywhere as the Kyuubi let out a loud scream in pain. He fell back into his hole; disappearing and gone. The shinigami gasped and looked back from the hole to Aaven. She made eye contact with the shinigami and he suddenly feared for his life. Even if he knew his life was now over, he still clung to it. Aaven took one stop at a time; taking time in approaching the fearful God of Death. His foot immediately stepped back whenever she took a step closer to her, and kept backing away as Aaven drew closer to him.

"You… you don't scare me!" He barked at her. "I'm a Shinigami… I live to take lives… and you're just a human!" He pulled out his Death Note, but out of fear, you could hear his breaths quicken.

"Don't even think of writing my name in that book," Aaven spoke along with Ansem's voice. "It won't work. I'm not of this world."

"As if you'd know anything!" He scribbled in Aaven's full name and immediately wrote "immediate painful death after writing this detail." after it. But as she predicted, Aaven did not die. Nothing happened, and that caused the Shinigami to agonize even more.

"See? You should know better; you're a Shinigami, after all," Aaven was now in front of the Death God and her eyes held him captive; he couldn't move. She raised Kuro-Reiki in the air and stared blankly at him. "Sayonara, Shinigami." She slashed her Keyblade across him where his heart would be. He cursed to himself and he crumbled away into sand. Aaven let out a "humph;" like she was unsatisfied.

"Nothing ever satisfies me," She noted; eyeing her comrades who remained unconscious. "What a joke." She let out a sneer and jumped off the cliff; headed off to attack the Shinigami at the ground. The Shinigami who she killed wasn't at the rank they needed. Disgusting; all that work was wasted. And they only had three hours left.

* * * *

Aaven destroyed five shinigami in the time that Cloud and Sora were unconscious. Five. And none of them actually were the rank they needed. The odds! It didn't bother her one bit; the thought of killing anything gave her a rush. The power of darkness was sweet and consuming for her and she just wanted to use it as much as she possibly could.

As soon as Aaven was about to kill her sixth shinigami, she heard Sora's voice from in front of her.

"Aave!" She looked up; her eyes still full of desire to kill. The look made him stop in his tracks and stare in awe at her. "What happened to you…?"

"The power of darkness has seeped into her skin," Sora answered as he towered over next to Sora who looked up at him in surprise.

"Aave would never let the darkness take over her! She's too strong for that!"

"Obviously not. She reeks with the scent of darkness,"

"No…" Sora ran up to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. He started shaking her like crazy as though to wake her up and prove that Cloud was wrong.

"Don't touch me," She hissed; grabbing onto Sora's hands and literally forcing him to stop. She took her hands off her shoulders but held tightly onto them still.

"Don't you even recognize me?!"

"Not at all," Sora's eyes widened at her response. He just couldn't believe that the dark has tainted her so badly that she didn't even know that her best friend was in front of her. It's what happens when the darkness has a grip on your heart.

"Aave, it's ME, Sora!" He collapsed onto his knees and now looked as though he was begging for her to recognize him. "It's me… snap out of it!"

"I know no Sora," Her voice made ice cubes jealous; it was so cold and serious, but Sora wasn't about to throw in the towel so soon. He wouldn't want to lose a second friend to the dark now, did he?

"I made you a promise… if the dark ever overtook you again, I would make sure to protect you," A tear fell from his eye. "I may failed at it this time, but I won't give up on you."

"Get out of my way, kid," Aaven slammed down her Keyblade into the shinigami heart and it disintegrated into sand, "You're in my ----" She suddenly stopped what she was doing and began twitching and trembling.

"Aave?" Sora whispered; standing up and resting his hands on her cheeks. Aaven's fang retracted to a normal size on the inside of her lip, her eyes changed back into their usual pale red, her hair slowly changed back into the normal brownish-grey color, and she let out a scream. Her body felt like it was ripped apart and shattered.

"Aave!" Sora embraced her into a tight hug; hoping to at least comfort her.

"S-Sora…" She gripped the fibers of his red shirt and tears stained her cheeks and his shoulder. "The darkness is too much…"

"I'll protect you somehow; I promise!" Yeah, right. Who was the one who forced the darkness to come around and protect you from the fox demon? Sora; you, my friend, fail. You were the reason why she transformed; to _protect_ you. Score three for not having a heart and not caring about others!

"Just please… don't let it take over… please, make it stop…"

"The darkness is something you can't just stop," Cloud said; appearing next to the two. "I've tried many times and they were failed attempts."

"Then what can we do?" Sora sighed; stroking Aaven's hair delicately. JUST to clarify: Sora doesn't like Aaven like that. He's just like that cuz they're very close friend and that's how he comforts her when she's upset.

"I… don't know," Cloud sighed and eyed the world in front of him. "It's something only you can figure out for yourself. You have to find your own way to suppress it. It will be a harsh road… but, there's always a light." He looked down in deep thought; probably wondering where his own light was. Cloud was a man who was on the path that searched endlessly to end the darkness and live in the light.

"I guess you're right," Sora sighed; hanging his head kind of low.

"…Looks like you guys get out of here."

"Eh?" Sora whipped around and immediately saw the Gummi-Ship on the ground.

"It's our vessel!" Sora smiled and picked up Aaven by carrying her on his back. "Come on with us, Cloud. Let's search together."

"Thanks, but no thanks. I have my own path to go on," Cloud turned his back on the two; placing his Buster sword on his back in its locked position. Before running away into the rest of the world of the shinigami, Cloud glanced over his shoulder at Sora and Aaven and gave them a tiny smirk. "Good luck." And off he went.

"Thanks… Cloud," Sora smiled and let out a sigh of relief. "Aaven, we can leave now; isn't that great---?" He looked behind his shoulder to see that Aaven had fainted; what a real surprise. She's so weak that it's really pathetic. Sora smiled lightly and patted her head. "You'll wake up in a better place; I know you will." She could faintly make out some things that Sora was saying; she just fainted.

"Donald! Goofy!" She could feel Sora sprint forward and then everything was silent.


	18. Chapter 18: Threats

**I love posting up chapters that aren't JUST made but were made like five thousand weeks ago. :3  
Brings back all the memories of writing it~  
Hah, wow. Sorry. But I do!  
My notebook says we have 21 more pages until the book is over...  
Or, translated in chapters, only three more left.  
It's getting epic! :D I'm excited.  
But I'm gonna miss this. Dx**

**We hit my review goal! Wow! Already! :D Thank you guys, so very very much 3  
Even though most of them were for older chapters. :P  
I still appreciate the reviews. **

**Thank you to SakuyaSnowflakes (my best friend 3) and EdxWinry6789  
for your reviews on the older chapters! I hope you enjoy the newer chapters as much as the old ones.  
Thank you to Taeniaea for reviewing chapter seventeen!**

**CONTINUE REVIEWING! Let's see how many we can get before this story ends!  
**

**I own NOTHING except for lovely Vexy and Aaven :]  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Eighteen: Threats_

Aaven woke up to the familiar scent of the vessel she has been longing for in her warm bed. Her eyes were heavy like she didn't get enough sleep. She sat up and turned her head to the side. Beside her were her fest friend and the two animals they've been looking for for so long.

"Aaven, you're awake!" Sora smiled sheepishly. "You enjoy going unconscious on me, don't you?"

"Not at all," She laughed at his comment, but then she gazed at Donald and Goofy, who were also chuckling along.

"Good morning, Aaven! A-hyuk!" Goofy smiled his usual goofy smile (not to be blunt; just saying it like it is).

"Are you okay, Aaven?" Donald cutely looked up at her and asked with a serious tone of voice. She nodded her head, stretched a bit, and let out a yawn. She turned over in her bed and snuggled into her blanket; taking in the sweet scent.

"I could use more sleep~!" She laughed a little and let out a comforted sigh. Finally, she was free from that awful world and she regained sight of a tiny speck of light from the darkness. Yet, the memories of being transformed still lingered in her head. This time, it took Sora _begging_ for her to return to normal. With every use, it got harder to suppress and control.

"Don't tell me you're still tired!" Donald moaned; shaking Aaven's body violently. "Stay awake with us!" Oh, how she missed her lovely duck friend.

"Why should I?" Aaven groaned; lightly kicking the duck off her. He responded with a "humph," and stopped.

"Because sitting here with Sora is bad enough!"

"Hey!" Sora replied with a moan of a voice. "Someone's feathers have been ruffled, I see."

"Excuse _me_ for telling the truth,"

"You're always doing this to me, Donald! You always treat me like I'm annoying,"

"Cuz you can be," Aaven interrupted; a smirk lining her face from under the blankets.

"Oh, thanks!"

"Even Aaven agrees with me! She likes me better,"

"No, she doesn't! She's known me for a lot longer!"

"So? Time is not a factor,"

"…I still knew her longer,"

"This is nice to wake up to," Aaven remarked; hiding her head under her pillow.

"Sorry," Sora and Donald replied at the same time; holding their heads low. Goofy was holding in his giggles the entire time. His white gloved hands wrapped around his mouth in effort to stop his laughing.

"Wait…" Aaven sat up in her bed; staring at her plain white bed sheets. "If Donald, Goofy, and Sora are with me… who's controlling the Gummi-Ship?!" Donald's eyes, along with Sora's and Goofy's, widened at how stupid they were. I don't think that this ship is the model with auto-pilot, either. Just then, the vessel crashed into a world's ground; _hard_.

"I TOLD you to keep watch over the controls!" Donald barked at Sora once the crash was over with.

"What--? No, you didn't!" Sora argued.

"Yes, I did!"

"Lies!"

"Donald, you didn't actually…" Goofy interrupted; tapping his finger against his bottom lip.

"Goofy…" Donald hissed his name warily.

"Uhm, by the way, how long was I out for?" Aaven asked; sitting up and scratching the back of her head.

"Three hours, to be exact," Sora answered; leaning back into his chair.

"Let's get out of here and explore!" Donald eagerly ran out of the Gummi-Ship with Goofy following from behind. Sora eyed Aaven and helped her stand. Still, she was very tired and her body hadn't full recovered (…duh).

"I have a feeling we'll be seeing Riku really soon; and Kairi!" Sora muttered; throwing Aaven's arm over his shoulder and walking to the exit of the vessel.

"You think so?"

"Of course!" The two friends exited the vessel to find themselves on a wooden ship. As soon as they were all out, Heartless showed up and surrounded the two friends (Donald and Goofy must've trailed ahead).

"I didn't think you'd come, Sora," A familiar voice popped from behind; causing tense shoulders among Sora and Aaven. They turned around only to see the one and only Riku. "Good to see you two again."

"Er… where are Donald and Goofy?" Sora asked; shifting his position so he and Aaven could look him dead on.

"Are they that important to you?" He sneered; rolling his eyes a little. "More important than old friends?"

"What are you talking about…" Aaven whispered; barely audible.

"Instead of worrying about them," Riku ignored her; even though it was clear by the way he eyed her that he had. "…You should be asking… about her." Riku stepped away and a dead-looking Kairi appeared. When I say dead, I really mean, she lost all possible life in her body language. Bags were just as heavy under her eyes as they are in Aaven's.

"Kairi!" Sora and Aaven shouted together in unison.

"That's right. While you were off goofing around, I finally found her," They sprinted forward, past the Heartless, only to be stopped by a hooked hand.

"Not so fast. No shenanigans aboard my vessel, boy," The raspy pirate chastised.

"Riku, why are you siding with the Heartless?" Sora frowned in confusion. Aaven it her lower lip to stop herself from whimpering. She should've expected to run into this sooner or later. Riku had known this was going to happen and he did this so she could escape from Maleficent's grasp those few times.

"Sora," She whispered; just so he could hear her. "It's my fault."

"The Heartless obey me now, Sora. Now, I have nothing to fear." Riku responded. Sora glanced at Aaven in disbelief who couldn't even look him in the eyes. He shot up a glare at Riku for many different reasons.

"You're stupid!" His voice even cracked at his anger. "Sooner or later, they'll swallow your heart!"

"Not a chance. My heart's too strong,"

"Riku…"

"I've picked up a few tricks along the way as well," Riku raised his arm at the two. "Like this, for instance." And a shadow version of Sora appeared in front of him; causing Sora to gasp slightly and take a step back.

"You can go see your friends now, Sora," A trap-door opened underneath Sora's feet and he fell through.

"Sora!" Aaven was just about to jump in with him when all of a sudden, a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back. In a flash, she was already up beside Riku, who help too tightly on to her arm.

"Let's get under way, already," He ordered the Captain. "And Sora away from Kairi until we're ready to land." Pulling Aaven with him, Riku walked away to a pathway that led inside the ship.

"What's the meaning of this?" She asked along the way; not really bothering to fight back to being pulled due to her exhaustion. He glanced at her a softer expression and loosened his grip on her a little.

"Orders are orders," He responded in a quiet voice; looking to the wooden floors underneath their feet. He changed already; so quickly…


	19. Chapter 19: Aboard

**Eheheh, long time no see, you guys. ^.^"  
I haven't been around much, have I? (Don't answer that; I know...)  
I'm sorry. I've been busy (being lazy).  
And I have school. And I'm *always* tired.  
I had a flute sectional today and it was so pointless.  
I knew how to play everything and my band teacher was impressed.  
I didn't need to go. T^T  
But that's what happens when you actually practice and follow directions  
unlike 98% of my band...**

**But anyways, I got the chapter out. Sorry it took so long. xD  
I was also waiting to see if anybody else would REVIEW.  
I would like to have more people reviewing; not just one person.  
Thank you ScarletBloodWolf and Taeniaea for being loyal. :3  
S.B.W. - I never heard that... but you're sweet for not being critical. :D  
And thanks for saying mine is amazing. xD **

**I hope you guys are *~excited~* like me that this story is coming to a CLOSE  
IN TWO CHAPTERS and the sequel will come. I can't believe it~  
Thank you guys for everything and being here. You're amazing. 3  
I own nothing except Vexy and Aaven. :D  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**_  
Chapter Nineteen: Aboard_

As the two were walking down the stairs, Aaven pondered to herself. Riku didn't want to be with her if Maleficent or the darkness were around. So why? Why were they together right now? Why did he purposely separate her from her friends? He had pulled her away from going after Sora, too.

"Looks like I can't trust Sora to do anything right," Riku suddenly grumbled under his breath; his hand that was gripping her arm twitched lightly. Aaven gazed up at him with tired but curious eyes.

"What… do you mean?"

"He let the darkness overtake you again… and he's even exhausted your strength."

"How did you figure that out?"

"I can smell the darkness on you; it's in your skin. And in your eyes, you're as dead as Kairi," Aaven grimaced; he was right. But, it's not like she meant for this to happen, and Sora didn't either. They just got caught up in the worlds that they had visited. That's all. "I won't allow this to continue, Aaven. You're staying with me."

"I thought you didn't want me to sink into darkness with you,"

"I don't. But, it looks like I have no choice,"

"Well, you _could_ join Sora and me,"

"No,"

"Figures…" Riku reached a wooden door and opened it to reveal their best girl friend: Kairi.

"I thought you'd like to see her," He said in a monotone voice. Aaven's face lit up the slightest bit.

"Kairi!" She sprinted over to her; regardless of her physical state of being. She dropped to her knees and hugged the seemingly conscious girl (Kairi's eyes were open but she's not awake). "What happened to you…?"

"Do you not remember?" Riku asked; remaining in the door way. Aaven looked up at the wooden ceiling and recalled the dark memory. They were in the secret place and a mysterious figure had forced Kairi's heart to leave her body. Her light created a vision of Kairi, when it was really just an empty shell.

"I can't believe I just stood there and let it happen…" Aaven shed a single tear and Riku placed a gentle, gloved hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her.

"Just so you know, I don't blame you for what happened to her," He cooed softly in her ear. She sniffled in response and uttered a "thank you." Aaven stared into Kairi's sapphire blue eyes; they gazed back but you could tell she was lost. Guilt started to eat away deep inside Aaven's heart; how could she allow this to happen to such a pure-soul girl?

"She's lost her heart. Kairi is incomplete; nothing more than an empty light," Riku noted. "I've been searching non-stop for her heart, but I just can't seem to find it anywhere."

"Could it be hiding somewhere?" Aaven asked; suddenly starting to feel the effects of using darkness as her threshold. Remember, kids; thinking too intensely at one time will only tire yourself out and leave you in a horrible condition. Be wise and don't do it.

"Where could it be hiding?"

"I…I don't know…" Aaven grabbed her head quickly; in her vision, the room had began rocking and swaying and spinning. She didn't know how to react to anything, because everything seemed to have another side to it. Riku was here and she missed him beyond compare, however, darkness had overtaken him and this wasn't the Riku she knew and loved. But, did Aaven really have the right to say that? After all, the darkness had over taken her a few times, too. And now, Kairi has been found and they're reunited which makes her overjoyed, but Kairi's unconscious and dead-like. Have you ever seen your friend so pale and so without life that it's like she on her death bed? Thinking that itself scared the soul out of Aaven. What to do; what to think? And Sora was nowhere to be found; along with Donald and Goofy. Aaven's been cornered with the emotions she harbors, but which emotion was the right one? Riku took noticed that Aaven was struggling suddenly with something; her hands held her head, tears were falling from her eyes, and whimpers escaped her lips.

"Aave, calm down," His arms snaked across her shoulders and he pulled her close to him; resting his cheek on her head. She opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and looked up at the one she loved. "Things will be fine. Trust me." That was one thing she couldn't do while Riku was shrouded in darkness. And honestly, being this close to him made Aaven feel even more confused. But as per usual, her face gleamed an innocent pink color. She sighed lightly and tried to relax the slightest bit. Being in his arms made her feel closer to home in the islands somehow.

"How can you be so sure?" Aaven muttered; staring at Kairi's lifeless body with sadness and worry. Riku smiled slightly and hugged her a little tighter.

"Because I just know," Aaven frowned hopelessly. She had a strange feeling that something was coming to get her and her friends.

"I can't shake this weird feeling…" She looked up at Riku; scared half-to-death at the look in his sea-green eyes. He held a dark expression; his heart was being swallowed whole by the darkness that was beginning to possess him. Where was the love?

"Nonsense,"

"But, Riku--! I feel like we won't see each other for… a really long time… something is on its way--" Riku cut her off suddenly by laying a kiss on her lips. THAT definitely shut her up.

"Listen," He smiled; his whisper gentle. "You shouldn't worry so much like you are."

"_Demo…" _She thought to herself. "_Anata ni fureru koto ga… naze konna ni Kurashiki no desu ka?_" (But… why is it so painful to touch you?)

"…Okay," Aaven laid her head against his chest and smiled lightly. She supposed if she was going to get attacked or will disappear soon, she might as well enjoy being in her love's arms for the time being. But alas, that time didn't last. Captain Hook, the annoying pirate from before, barged into the room.

"Riku, boy, have you found out if she's the one?" He asked; nudging the two into a different room.

"Wendy's not it," He answered; holding Aaven's hand and standing in front of her protectively.

"So, Wendy's not one of the chosen ones?" He questioned; raising his eyebrow.

"There are seven, supposedly," Riku responded. "And Maleficent says she's not one of them." He turned his back to Captain Hook; holding Aaven close and laying his left arm around her waist; nuzzling his cheek on top of her head. "Hoist anchor as soon as possible. Leave all the dead weight behind; including her."

"After the trouble of capturing her?!" The Captain was becoming infuriated and swung his hands all over the place; emphasis! "And WHY those seven? What is Maleficent planning, anyway?"

"Who knows? As long as it means getting Kairi's heart back, I couldn't care less,"

"Keh, you're wasting your time! The Heartless have devoured that girl's heart. I'll stake me other hand it's lost forever," Aaven tensed up upon hearing that Kairi's heart was gone. Was that true?

"I will find it no matter what," Riku said; assuring Aaven and biting back at Captain Hook.

"Uh, Captain?" Hook's assistant, Smee, sounded from the other room. "The prisoners have escaped. What's more, Peter Pain is with them."

"Grr… blast that Peter Pan! Alright then! Bring the hostage to me cabin, Smee! Hop to it!" Hook ordered. He ran out of the door and disappeared to some place on ship. Aaven let out a yawn and sighed to herself.

"Maybe you should get some rest--," Riku looked down to see that Aaven had already fallen asleep on his chest. He smirked lightly to himself and chuckled.

"Guess this makes it easier for me."


	20. Chapter 20: Scars

**Hey, people, heyy. ;]  
I went to the dentist yesterday,  
and they gave me two Novocaine shots and I was on Laughing Gas for an hour.  
I never had that happen before. x.x  
Just to fill in a defect in my tooth and  
to fill in my teeth to prevent cavities.  
Uh, TALK ABOUT LOOPY. I was crazy after it. I sounded so weird...  
And my cheek was so puffy and swollen.  
It just hurts now... Sniff.**

**Can it really be Chapter Twenty already? This means I have to say goodbye to this story...  
I think I got really attached to it;  
I cry and die a little each time I read Chapter 21.  
I don't know when that'll come out. Perhaps I will over the weekend?  
If I feel like it. I hate typing. xD I'm lazyy.**

** Thank you guys, for sticking with me the entire story. I love you!  
You mean everything to moi. :]  
So, review! Tell me what you think and how this is beginning to end! Can we get 30 reviews when this is finished?  
Thank you to ScarletBloodWolf for your review. :]**

**I own nothing except Vexy and Aaven.  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**

_Chapter Twenty: Scars_

Aaven woke up screaming about five hours later. A terrifying nightmare was lodged in her head. But, it wasn't a dream. It actually happened a few rooms away. Aaven was once again inside the Hollow Bastion Castle. As she sat up, she noticed that she was in Riku's room.

"This place… can it be?" She whispered. "The castle… I can sense such a dark power…" She gripped her heart; a guilty feeling touching it. "I hope Maleficent really didn't give Riku the dark power like in my dream…" The door opened to reveal a shadow with a sea-green pair of eyes.

"What happened?" Riku's voice came out of the shadow, but it didn't seem familiar, you know? It was his, but it wasn't at the same time. His voice felt different on her ears; it was a lot darker and not easy-going.

"W-what?" She responded; too frightened to say anything else. His voice was rough and just not the same.

"Aaven, why did you scream?" She sensed an overwhelming power of darkness radiating from Riku's shadow. It stopped her heart; stunned her motionless. She couldn't speak a bit because of her fear.

"_Answer_ me," His voice hissed at her; sending a shiver down her spine.

"I-I-I just had a bad dream,"

"Hn," He snorted and entered the room; causing her to one, hold her breath, and two, instinctively crawl backwards to press her back against the headboard. Riku took notice to the sudden change and shot an icy glare at her.

"What, are you afraid of me?" She sneered; standing beside the bed. Aaven couldn't even look at him, which caused him to be a little more ticked. ""Would you rather be out dying with Sora?" She instantly glared at him now; tears threatening to fall.

"Sora's strong! He wouldn't let me die!"

"He almost has,"

"It wasn't his fault and he has done everything he could!" Aaven stood up; clearly taking offense for her best friend. "Riku, this isn't like you; you're clinging too heavily to the darkness!"

"Keh, this is only a better version of me. I have power, I can see other worlds on a whim, and…" He grabbed onto Aaven's wrist, pulled her to him, and stared deeply into her eyes. "…I can protect you."

"You're lying," She choked; glancing at the floor. Her body began trembling out of control. "Riku, you…"

"I what?" His grip on her tightened and a wince escaped her lips. Aaven broke free of Riku's grasp on her wrists.

"You just want to protect yourself!" She ran out of the room instantly after that; just so Riku couldn't stop her from escaping.

"Oh, Aaven, if only you could understand," He uttered; the darkness wrapping around his body and making him disappear into thin air.

***********************

Aaven ran and ran; occasionally losing her way. She was sick of this situation. Was it really that hard to go back to the time where everything was okay and made sense? Apparently. The tears had dropped from her face; a trail of tears literally lining the way she went on the ground. The horrible _instinct_ was creeping closer and Aaven just knew it was coming to get her. In some weird way or emotion, she wanted it to just come over already. But until then, she had to find Sora…

She made it to the outside entrance of the castle to find her friends; along with Riku. They began to talk, so Aaven decided to lay low and eavesdrop on them from behind a large rock.

"So, you finally made it. About time; I've been waiting for you," Riku barked at Sora. "We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me, as I've always pushed you."

"Riku…" Sora whispered; furrowing his brow.

"But, it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters,"

"What're you talking about? If that's true, you'll have to take Aaven's away, too!"

"I still have use for her. Let the Keyblade choose… its true master!" Just then, Sora's Kingdom Key flew out of his hands, and though he struggled to keep his weapon, it flew into the hands of Riku.

"Maleficent was right… you don't have what it takes to save Kairi or protect Aaven. It's up to me. Only the Keyblade master can open the secret door… and change the world,"

"But, that's impossible," Sora looked to the floor; worried, dazed, confused. "How did this happen? _I'M_ the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"

"You were just the delivery boy," Riku smirked as he admired the shiny metal of the Kingdom Key. "Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this." As though to mock him, Riku threw Sora a wooden toy sword, like the one they played with on the islands. Basked and hurt, Sora dropped to his hands and knees; hoping for a miracle that wasn't coming. Riku walked away; presumably headed to inside the castle.

"Goofy, let's go," Donald suddenly said. "We have to remember our mission."

"Oh! Well, I know the King told us to follow the Key and all." Goofy stole a glance at Sora. "But…" Reluctantly, he followed Donald away. Sora was all alone. Since Riku was about to find out where she was, Aaven had to move, but she headed for her best friend. Jumping off the ice (or rock; whatever), Aaven sprinted over to Sora.

"Sora!" She shouted. "Are you okay?"

"Are you going to leave me like everyone else…?" Sora responded; not even looking at her. A stray tear collapsed from both her eyes as she embraced her depressed friend.

"You fool… I'd never want to… I've been looking for you!" A gleam of hope sprinkled in his eyes as he stood up with a nod. "But, Sora, why are you here?" She wiped away the remnants of her tears and regained her disposition. He looked at the toy sword with curiosity and picked it up.

"I already found you, so…" He smiled brightly and looked at the castle. "I'm not going to give up now. I came here to find someone who's very important to me."

"Kairi," Aaven smiled and laughed a little. Everything in the Hollow Bastion Castle was going to unravel. Bad things will happen but she will protect what's so precious to her; at any cost. She has come to this realization, and will prepare herself so.

* * *

With Aaven guiding the way, Sora and her found the entrance pretty easily (on a whim, of course).

"Be on your guard," Aaven whispered. "They're close, I can feel it… are you ready for them?" Aaven was talking about all the potential threats: Heartless, Riku, Maleficent, Ansem. There was a sudden noise behind them that made them gaze at where they came in.

"Quit while you can," That was Riku's voice. It was subtle and quiet; and of course, above all, dark. Aaven turned (along with Sora) and gasped lightly. They were found so quickly that it caused a reaction from the two (they jumped).

"No. Not without Kairi!" Sora answered very seriously. Riku was there as they turned to face him, and so were Donald and Goofy.

"The darkness will destroy you," In a whole ironic twist, a glow of dark power enwrapped his entire body; even giving him a new costume. He wore a skin tight outfit that was black, red, purple, and blue, and a weird, skirt-looking thing on his waist. Is he trying to impersonate Ryuk…?

"You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends; it'll never die!"

"Yeah!" Aaven chimed in. "Sora's heart will stay with us; its light's too strong to fade that easily!"

"Really? Well, we'll just see about that!" Riku retracted and sent a dark aura at Sora. Aaven tackled him to the ground so he wouldn't get hit, but it was an unnecessary move.

"Sora or Aaven ain't gonna go anywhere!" Goofy stood in front of the blast; protecting them with his Knight shield.

"You'd betray your king?"

"Not on your life! But I ain't gonna… _betray_ Sora or Aaven either, cuz these two have become my best buddies after all we've been through together!" He smiled kindly at the two then turned back to Riku and a lone Donald.

"See yah later, Donald!" Goofy waved. "Could yah tell the King I'm really sorry?"

"Hold on, Goofy! We'll tell him together!" Donald ran/waddled over to the now complete, reunited group and smiled at Sora and Aaven. "Well, you know… all for one and one for all!"

"I guess you're stuck us, Sora, Aaven," Goofy chuckled.

"Thanks a lot, Donald… Goofy…" Sora replied. He sure didn't sound thankful.

"How will you fight without a weapon?" Riku jumped back into the conversation.

"I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon; my heart!" Riku sneered.

"Your heart? What good will that weak little thing do for you?"

"Although my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friend I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then, if they don't forget me, then our hearts will be one," Sora confidently posed in his fighting position before continuing on. "I don't need a weapon. My friends are my power!" The Keyblade must've come back to its senses and realized that Sora was the rightful wielder. In other words, it disappeared from Riku's hands and took place of the wooden sword in Sora's hands.

"You're right, Sora," Aaven smiled lightly; really touched by his heart-felt speech. She summoned Aka-Reiki and prepared for battle. "I'll be battling right beside you; our hearts as one! We won't lose!"

"Fine, if that's the way it is…" Riku summoned the Soul Eater Keyblade and also prepared for the upcoming fight.

_Let the battle… commence._


	21. Chapter 21: Her Heart

**OH MY GOD. IT'S DONE. BOOK ONE... DONE. I never finished a book before...**  
**So this is very emotional for me. xD**  
**I'm in disbelief; is this really happening??  
Apparently so.**

**I'm going to post the sequel up real soon.  
Did you guys love Book One? Please tell me!  
I want to hear what you think.  
The whole reason why I managed to finish this was because of the AMAZING PEOPLE reading this;  
my best, lovely friends and the many rocking fanfictionites out there  
who've been here since the beginning.**

**Thank you guys SO FREAKING MUCH and staying with me this entire time.  
You mean EVERYTHING to me!  
**

**Thank you all for your amazing reviews and making me feel wonderful.  
Without them, I doubt I'd ever get this past chapter four. Hahah. xD**

**So, yeah. Enjoy the last chapter and I hope to hear from you guys in the sequel;  
"DESTINY'S PATH." :]**

**I own nothing except Vexy and Aaven.  
**

**

* * *

Revealed Mysteries**_  
Final Chapter; Chapter Twenty-One: Her Heart_

Battered and defeated, Riku cursed under breath and ran away. He put up one hell of a fight, but with Sora, Aaven, Donald and Goofy attacking all at once, he was overwhelmed. But, he managed to lay a scratch on Aaven's forearm. Yes, it's very important to remember! Blood spilled loosely down her arm, but she just shrugged it off as nothing.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Sora asked; gazing at her wound. She nodded in response, but for some reason, she let out a gasp; her eyes growing huge. Without a second thought, she raced after Riku. This was not Aaven's will, however. She managed to trail behind him in a dark hallway. He was muttering to himself…

"W-why? It was mine!" He uttered; clearing out of breath.

"Know this," Ansem's voice stopped Riku from moving, along with Aaven. "The heart that is strong and true shall win the Keyblade."

"What? You're saying my heart's weaker than his?"

"For that instant, it was… however, you can become stronger. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. Plunge deeper into the darkness, and your heart will grow even stronger," Ansem was tempting Riku with more dark power. That was never a good sign; seeing as Riku wouldn't say no to that.

"What should I do?" Riku mumbled to himself.

"It's really quite simple. Open yourself to the darkness. That is all. Let your heart - your BEING - become darkness itself," Riku began glowing green; he was absorbing and accepting all that power at one time.

"No…" She whispered to herself. She had to go back and warn Sora as soon as she could. Turning on her heels, she sprinted onwards to her best friend to warn him of the upcoming danger and threat. But, alas, fate wouldn't allow it to be that east. Riku appeared behind her and sneered; covering her mouth with his gloved hand.

"So, you were here the entire time?" He said in her ear. Aaven's screams were muffled under his hand and she couldn't breathe. "Looks like you'll be the one to witness my alibi." And of course, she shut her eyes and grimaced a greeting to unconsciousness.

*******************

Aaven woke up to her best girl friend laying beside her who is still in deep slumber. Her body was tired and a bit heavy. Her bones ached, but she could still move.

"Aave! Kairi!" Sora, from behind, ran straight to them, but instantly grabbed the one he loved. He held her delicately in his arms and shook her body a little. "Kairi, Kairi! Open your eyes!"

"It's no use. That girl has lost her heart; she cannot wake up," Riku and Ansem's voice sounded from high above in tandem, and he was above them. He sat up on top of the incomplete Keyhole that was in the shape of a heart.

"What? You… you're not… Riku?" Sora placed Kairi down and gazed up at the Riku. Aaven sat up and also stared. Whispered in her head began to say "goodbye," but she pushed them aside as unimportant.

"The Keyhole cannot be completed, so long as the last Princess of Heart still sleeps," Majestically, Riku jumped down and slowly fell perfectly onto his feet; a new Keyblade in his hands.

"The princess…? Kairi's a princess?" Aaven and Sora questioned together.

"Yes, and without her power, the Keyhole will remain incomplete. It is time she awakened,"

"Whoever you are, let Riku go! Give him back his heart!" Wow, Sora; way to stay on topic. That was a slap on the face to Kairi.

"But first, you must give the princess back her heart," A bright red light flashed in front of Sora's chest; forcing him to his knees. He yelped out in pain; grabbing his chest as though it was on fire.

"Sora!" Aaven stood up and reached out to him; not really sure what to do.

"What's--?"

"Don't you see yet?" Riku yelled; coming closer to the gang. "The princess's heart is responding! It has been there all along. Kairi's heart rests within you!"

"Kairi… Kairi's inside me?"

"I know all that there is to know,"

"Tell me; who are you?" Sora gasped for breath; coughing a little. Suddenly, Aaven began feeling the same way as Sora; she fell to her knees grabbing her chest.

"I'm sure Aaven would be more than happy to tell you my identity," The ball of darkness hit her chest and sent a rush of adrenalin to all parts of her veins. She let out a scream as though she was being cursed. Her cry reached all four corners of this enormous room. Her right eye began morphing into her dark-power eye, her bloody red markings appearing on her right cheek, and blood dropping out of the corner of her mouth.

"Aaven, release my power… take back Kairi's heart!"

"I refuse!"

"Silly girl. Do you never learn?" The darkness began spreading beyond her will. Needles of pain attacked her heart, but she didn't want to give up. There was no way she could; she had to protect her friends at all cost. Remembering her promises, she slowly began to stop screaming and ignore the pain.

"Y-You're the one… who never… learns!" She managed to say; reaching her feet. Though the powers of darkness still reigned her body and it appeared all over, it wasn't about to overcome and overpower her will.

"Impossible… through shire force of will…?" Riku (or should I really say Ansem?) muttered; twitching slightly. "It can't be enough on its own…"

"I promised… to protect my friends… at any cost… Ansem…" Aaven breathed; summoning her Aka-Reiki Keyblade and feeling an amazing surge of light energy coursing through it. "The darkness… holds no effect on me!" She launched forward just as Riku did as well. In her mind, she knew IT was about to happen. She was prepared; and it was okay. She had to do what she had to do. Destiny has decided.

"Goodbye, creetin!" Aaven slashed her Keyblade inside Riku's chest, and a huge flash of light appeared; swallowing up the room. Light energy drove out Ansem from Riku's body. He was finally free! But, when the light died away, it appeared that Riku's Keyblade was stuck inside her chest; her heart.

_His Keyblade has the power to unlock people's hearts._

Just as Riku came to his senses a few minutes later, and saw that he had struck his beloved, a look of horror sprang upon his face. Blood poured out of her lips like a water fountain.

"No…" He whispered; throwing the Keyblade away from them as soon as he got it out of her chest. Aaven fell sideways; her eyes closed. Riku caught her instantly and collapsed to his knees. "This can't be… open your eyes! Aave… can you hear me?!"

"Yeah… I can," She opened her pale-red eyes and tears rolled down her face. But, for some strange reason, she was happy; at peace. Tiny bits of light floated away from her body; her heart escaping as well.

"This is my fault… I did so much to you… Aave, I…" Riku held her close and he bit his inner cheeks to stop from crying. Aaven shook her head and rested her hand on top of his head delicately; grasping his immediate attention.

"Riku, it's not your fault. You… fought your way through the darkness… all this time… I'm… sorry… I wasn't there… and left you all alone…"

"Don't say that; don't apologize! I was stupid, and now, you're the one who's paying the price,"

"It doesn't matter to me, Riku…" She looked down and a huge mass of firefly-like lights that were once her legs flew away. "I don't have much time… but I want you to promise me some things…"

"Yes?"

"It's too late… for me to undo my mistakes… but you can't let the darkness… take over you again… you have Kairi and Sora… to look after… please… protect them… cherish them…" In the background, Aaven could hear Sora bang his fists on to the ground and the way he was breathing (it made it sound like he was crying; which he was). He kept uttering, "why?" to himself.

"I'll do my best," He couldn't help but let a tear fall. Aaven chuckled and weakly placed a kiss on his lips.

"Goodbye… Riku. See you again. I'm glad… I got to be with you…" A smile crosses her lips. "And of course, with Kairi and Sora, too. You're all my best friends. Don't ever forget… that I… love you…"

"I… I… I know, Aaven. I'll never forget. I'll promise to get your heart back too," In one last moment, he kissed her. He held her as tightly as possible; just to prove that he loved her, too. Before she closed her eyes for the beginning of quite some time, a tear fell solely from her right eye.

"_I know you will, Riku… I know… you will,_"

And with that, Aaven faded away into nothing but the light of a firefly.

**End Book One**


End file.
